


Love and Vengeance

by BynWho



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-12-30 04:32:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BynWho/pseuds/BynWho
Summary: Poe stepped back and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “For kriff's sake, Abby. You get into my head. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't even fly without thinking about you. It drives me crazy because I know I can't ever have you. That's why I came here, halfway across the damn galaxy. I needed to get away. To forget. And here you are.”Major Tabitha Nemec is set on the dark path of vengeance. Her ship breaks and she's stranded out in space. All alone, memories and regrets flood her thoughts as she tries to save herself from a certain death. Will Poe Dameron get to her in time to save her from dying alone? Can he save her from herself? Poe/OC





	1. Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Star Wars belongs to LucasFilm, Limited and Disney. Anything you recognize belongs to them. The rest is mine.
> 
> Spoilers for TFA, TLJ, and some of the Poe Dameron comics. Please read and review.

Abby dropped out of hyperspace somewhere in the Unknown Regions. She was assigned to recon work in this sector. The First Order were no longer the threat they used to be, but the New Republic had learned its lesson. From now on, any threats, regardless of how small, would be dealt with immediately. Abby’s VCX-100, the Endeavor, was an older ship, but it was in top condition. It had been heavily modified with top-of-the-line scanners, laser cannons and proton torpedo launchers, as well as a cloaking device, so it was perfect for this sort of work. That’s why she was surprised when her scanners didn’t pick up the two First Order ships nearby. One was a fuel tanker and the other was a command shuttle. Abby couldn’t fathom why either would be out here in the middle of nowhere.

 The command shuttle started firing on her. Abby maneuvered the ship around to try to get away from the blaster fire, but it was no use. The First Order kept up their barrage. She turned the ship around to face the shuttle so she could return fire. The laser turrets were useless with no crew. The Endeavor only had front blaster cannons that Abby used to fire back on the shuttle. She called out to her droid, DB-6, “See if you can bolster the front deflector shield!” The ball droid rolled over to the console and hooked in to the ship’s socket. A series of loud beeps from the droid told her that the shield was down to 25% of its power.

 “My blasters aren’t strong enough to penetrate their armor, DB. I guess I’ll have to try something else, then!” Abby saw the fuel tanker and formulated a plan. “DB, input some jump coordinates into the hyperdrive. We need to be ready to go at any second!” she commanded the rollie. DB-6 beeped an affirmative. The Endeavor baited the command shuttle and flew toward the tanker. The shuttle chased them and when both were close to the tanker, Abby fired a proton torpedo at the fuel tank. As the tanker exploded, taking the command shuttle with it, Abby flipped the hyperspace controls and the Endeavor went to light speed. DB-6 squealed at Abby. “What do you mean you weren’t done? Kriff, DB! Where the hell are we gonna end up?”

 The ship exited hyperspace, but neither Abby nor DB-6 recognized their location. She got up to check the star map on the ship’s computer. It confirmed her fear, they were lost. They were in uncharted space in the Unknown Regions. As she turned to her droid the ship jolted, knocking her to the floor. DB-6 squealed in fear, they were being hit by small asteroids. Abby stood to take a look, when she saw a larger group of asteroids hurdling toward the ship. They needed to get out of there fast. After a particularly hard hit, the Endeavor’s shield went completely down and the ship violently shook. Abby tried to steady herself, but ended up crashing onto the floor and hitting her head. The last thing she saw before the world went black was DB-6 being thrown around the cockpit.

  **Five years ago. Republic City, Hosnian Prime.**

  _It had been a long day at the hospital on Hosnian Prime. Abby was in her last year of residency before becoming a full-fledged doctor. This was certainly a turn in her life that she never would have expected. She had always thought she would go into politics, like her parents. Her mentor, Dr. Kalonia, had recruited her several years ago. The doctor knew Abby's parents and saw the potential the young girl had for the medical sciences._

_Abby turned down an alley and went in the second door she came to. The Rusted Flagon was a small tavern that was frequented by medical and academy students, as well as a few New Republic officers. She sat down in a booth toward the back and ordered a Sullustan whiskey. The warm liquid burned the back of her throat as she sipped. She looked around the smoky tavern for a familiar face, but found none. Relieved and thankful for the solitude, she pulled out a book she had been trying to read and removed the paper place-marker. It was a Bothan murder mystery a friend had recommended. So far, she was only halfway through, but she was dead set on finishing this week._

_She had only gotten halfway through the page when she felt eyes on her. She scanned the tavern when a blond man at the bar caught her eye and winked. Abby smiled politely, and then looked back at her book. She was not interested in mundane conversation, especially with someone who looked like he would lose a rock throwing competition to a bantha. Tonight she was determined to find out who murdered the Bothan ambassador and any other twists in her book. However, the blond man took Abby's smile as an invitation and sauntered over to her booth to sit across from her._

_“You must be a bounty hunter,” the man purred. She looked up from the pages of her mystery. He smiled and looked Abby up and down like he was trying to memorize every curve of her body._

_Abby shuddered in disgust. “You have me confused with someone else,” she replied and went back to reading, hoping this moof milker would take the hint._

_“Because, baby, you've captured my heart,” the man ignored her protest._

_Abby replaced the small paper she was using to hold her place and slammed the book shut. “Does that actually work on other women?” she asked skeptically._

_The man leaned in closer and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Is it working now?” His breath reeked of stale ale. Abby stared the man down._

_“I'll take your silence as a ‘no’. Let's start over. My name is Adrian Cress. I'm a pilot. The galaxy's best pilot. I'm sure you've heard of me.” Abby gave a sharp humorless laugh. He didn't look like he could make paper fly, much less operate complicated machinery. “So,” he continued, “what's a beautiful place doing in a woman like this?”_

_“Look,_ Adrian _,” his name slid off her tongue like rancor slime. He reached forward, scooted her book to the side, and grabbed her hand. His fingers were warm and sweaty. Abby made a face of disgust, but continued, “I'm waiting on my husband, so you're wasting your time,” she lied. “I’m going back to my book now, mmkay?” Abby forcefully pulled her hand from his grip and wiped it on her pants._

_“Right,” he drawled, “Husband. You don’t have a husband. You're just a lonely woman looking for a good time. You hide behind this book, but really, you're looking for someone to rock your galaxy. I know, baby, it's fun to play hard to get, but you don't have to play with me. Unless you want to,” he grinned suggestively. “We can go back to my place, have a few drinks, lose the uncomfortable uniforms, and I'll rub all over your--” But he never got to finish that thought._

_“Hey, sweetheart!” a tanned, dark haired man planted a kiss on Abby's cheek and sat next to her. She jumped in surprise, but recovered quickly. “Sorry I'm late. Oh, I see you've made a new friend?”_

_Confused, Abby looked at the newcomer. His eyes widened slightly, urging her to play along. He was certainly nice to look at, but she didn't think she could deal with another creep right now. Although, he was saving her from the sleemo across the table. And he wasn't exactly hitting on her. Maybe he wasn't a creep after all. She shook her thoughts away and replied, “Hello, love. This is Adrian. He's... the best pilot in the galaxy,” she replied with contempt._

_“The best, huh? Well, well. Tell me, Adrian, in your experience as the best pilot in the galaxy, what do you think of the new T-85s? Think they're worth the upgrade?” the man mocked. “I mean, sure, you get an extra 100 megalight per hour, but is that really worth the price?”_

_“I-I don't... I was just leaving,” Adrian stuttered as he got up from his seat and walked away, muttering something about “waste of time” and “loose women.” Abby and her rescuer chuckled at the sleemo’s quick exit._

_“Poe Dameron,” the dark haired man extended his hand to Abby and she took it._

_“Tabitha Nemec. Look, I've had a pretty rough week. We aren't really married, are we?”_

_Poe chuckled, “Not that I'm aware of. Sorry, I was just at the bar over there and heard that guy coming on to you. Can't take a hint, can he?”_

_Abby laughed along with him. Her laugh was like a song to Poe's ears. “Well, thanks for the rescue, Poe.” He got up to leave, but Abby found herself reaching for his arm. “Hey, you wanna stay? I really have had a tough week and would love some good company.” Her book could wait. She'd rather have the company if it meant she could have at least one intelligent conversation today._

_Poe looked at her hand on his arm and made up his mind. It had been a tough week for him as well. “Why not?” he grinned at her. Instead of sitting back down next to her, he went to the opposite side of the table. “So, Tabitha,” he started as he signaled for the barkeep to make another drink for him. “What do you do here in Republic City?”_

_She wrinkled her nose, she hated her formal name. “You can call me Abby. I'm a medical resident. I’ll finish up this year,” she answered while taking a sip of her whiskey. “What about you?”_

_“A pilot,” he replied. Abby's eyes widened._

_Poe, concerned she'd think he was also coming on to her, quickly added, “No, it's not a pick-up line. I swear! I really am a pilot. In the New Republic Defense Force, out of Mirrin Prime.” He chuckled nervously._

_Abby started to laugh. It was small at first, but gradually she dissolved into loud fits of laughter, making her grab at her sides. This man was a far cry from_ Adrian, the sleaze. _Poe joined in her mirth earnestly, happy she found the humor in the situation. Soon, they fell into an easy conversation. They talked about everything and nothing all at once. Before they realized how late it was, the barkeep called for last orders._

_“Oh!” Abby was startled, “I didn't realize the time. I've got rounds early in the morning.”_

_“Yeah, I had better head home too. Walk you out?” Abby stood with Poe and wound her arm through his. He left enough credits on the table to pay for their drinks and they left the tavern, still talking and laughing. At the end of the alley, Abby dropped her arm from his._

_“I'm this way,” she pointed east._

_“And I'm this way,” Poe pointed west. “It was nice to meet you, Abby Nemec.”_

_“I was nice to meet you too, Poe Dameron,” she chuckled. “I hope to see you again sometime.”_

_“Yeah, me too, Abby. Me too.”_

 


	2. Family Matters

**Present. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

Abby awoke with a start. Memories of better times had come flooding back as she lay unconscious. She allowed herself a brief smile as she thought of her first meeting with Poe. DB-6 rolled up to her and gave her a nudge. “I’m okay, buddy. I just hit my head.” Abby reached up to feel the knot forming on her sore forehead. _At least there’s no blood_ , she thought. She got up to assess what damage had been done to her ship. The asteroids hit hard, but thankfully there were no hull breaches.

 Flicking a few switches on the console, Abby quickly learned the extent of the damage. The engines were off-line, as were her weapons. “Better hope no one finds us right now, DB. See if you can fix the weapons system. I’m gonna go take a look at the hyperdrive and the engines.” Abby got up to go to the back while DB-6 hooked into the ship’s console.

 When she reached the hyperdrive, she saw that there was no way it would work. There were broken parts scattered all over the place; it looked as if the hyperdrive exploded during the incomplete jump. And Abby didn’t have any spare hyperdrive parts. With no auxiliary starfighter docked, she would have to rely on the main engines to get her to the nearest star system. She only hoped there were enough rations to last her as long as it would take. Abby went to the engine arrays only to find them working at one quarter power. “Kriff!” she exclaimed to the empty ship. Abby wondered why she had ever agreed to fly in space in the first place. It was always so much easier to be the passenger rather than the only crew member. Her father had warned her of the dangers of frequent space travel, telling her that someday, her luck would run dry. Abby sat hard onto the floor, thinking. She tried to concentrate on the problem at hand, but her mind kept wandering back to her family.

**Three years ago. Resistance Base. D’Qar.**

_Poe was in a sour mood and anxiously pacing on the tarmac in front of an Allanar N3 light freighter. General Organa had approached him yesterday about escorting one of the new recruits, Major Nemec, to Hosnian Prime to visit her family. He was already scheduled to pick up some supplies and gather intel in Republic City on Hosnian Prime, so it was not out of his way at all. But they were supposed to leave 10 minutes ago and Poe hated being late. He needed to meet his contact in a few hours._

_His thoughts turned to Major Nemec. The name was familiar, but he couldn’t remember meeting her when the last transport brought in the recruits._ She must be under a different command _, he thought. There were finally enough people on the Resistance base that knowing them all by name was impossible. He wondered what this new Major was like. She was a she. And she must come from Hosnian Prime since she’s going to visit family. That’s all he knew about her. He wondered if she was from a political family. Maybe her assignment was a political one? Poe didn’t have much use for politicians. He preferred to settle things from a cockpit._

_Poe double-checked that the ship was flight ready. His back was turned when he heard a voice come from behind him. “Sorry I’m late. I had to go back to my quarters to pick up a present for my daughter.” Poe turned around and was surprised that Abby Nemec was standing beside him. He had met her a couple of years ago in a Republic City tavern. He may not have remembered her last name, but he would never forget that smile. “Abby! It’s great to see you here!”_

_“Poe Dameron!” she joyfully exclaimed. “When did you join the Resistance?”_

_“Not long after we met. So, you’re a Major, huh?”_

_Abby chuckled, “Yeah, technically. I’m a doctor now. Under Major Kalonia. You’re the pilot taking me home?”_

_“That I am, Doc. Small galaxy!” Poe’s sour mood had all but vanished. Though they hadn’t seen each other since that first night two years ago, Poe never forgot Abby. She was intelligent, funny, and attractive. The evening they spent together in Republic City had left quite an impression on him._

_Laughing at his nickname for her, Abby replied, “That it is, Flyboy. Should we get going?”_

_“After you,” he waved her toward the ship._

_After they entered hyperspace, Abby settled in the co-pilot seat next to Poe. His hair was a little longer, but he looked like the same pleasant pilot she had met that night on Hosnian Prime. He turned to smile at her and asked, “Your family is on Hosnian Prime, then? Wait, you said you had a present for your daughter? I didn’t know you had a kid.”_

_“Yeah, Sage,” Abby pulled out an image of her daughter and showed it to him. “She just turned four, but she thinks she’s grown. My parents have had quite a time trying to keep up with her.”_

_“So she lives with your parents?” he questioned. He didn’t want to be obvious about it, but he was curious about Abby. They had talked about a lot the night they had met, but for some reason the topic of their families never came up._

_Abby explained, “She does. Her father died before she was born and I moved in with my parents.”_

_“Oh, I’m so sorry, Doc,” he condoled._

_Abby swallowed hard. Time had lessened the pain of losing Sage’s father, but sometimes it would catch her off guard. “It is what it is,” she feigned indifference. “My parents are taking care of her while I fight for the Resistance. So many people are hurting; I just can’t stand by and do nothing about it. So they offered to keep her safe for me until this is over.”_

_She reminded Poe of his mother. When he was young, he had asked his mother about her time in the Rebellion. She had explained,_ People were hurting. People were suffering. Your father and I couldn't sit and do nothing. _Poe fingered the small ring his mother had left him. He wore it on a chain beneath his shirt._

_“What about you? Do you have any family?” Abby asked him._

_Poe shook his head sadly. “Not anymore. My mom died when I was a kid. And my dad died just a couple of years ago. It’s just me now.”_

_She reached over and laid her hand on his arm in comfort. At her gentle squeeze, he smiled at her. That small amount of comfort meant the world to him. Changing the subject to something less sorrowful, Poe asked, “So what brought you to the Resistance?”_

_“My parents, really,” she replied. “My mother worked for Senator Xiono in the Galactic Senate. She heard rumors about the First Order during her work there. She saw Leia Organa address the Senate on several occasions, calling for them to take precautions against the threat. The Senator never believed Leia, but my mother sided with her. She said it was infuriating that no one in the Senate would take the threat seriously.”_

_“Yeah, I got that too. Command never believed me when I’d tell them what I saw out there,” Poe said resentfully._

_Abby continued, “When my father heard about the Senate refusing to take action, he said it reminded him of the Old Republic and the would-be Emperor. He was an attaché during the Galactic Empire, so he remembered those times vividly. Dr. Kalonia, my mentor and a friend of the family, came to me a few months ago. She said she was part of the Resistance and that they needed more medical personnel. My parents weren’t exactly keen for me to go, but they understand why I did. I want the galaxy to be a safer place for my daughter. Besides, knowing what I know, what kind of person would I be if I didn’t do anything?”_

_Poe found her passion captivating. She cared about her family, yes, but she cared about everyone else too. She wanted to do what was right, even if that meant being away from her family for long periods. The more he got to know Abby, the more he was attracted to her. Wanting to hear more, Poe asked, “You said your mother worked in the Senate. She doesn’t work now?”_

_“No, she left not long before I joined the Resistance. She helps my father now. They care for Sage and for my sister’s children while she and her husband work. They’re both Senator’s aides and have long hours,” she replied._

_“Everyone else in your family is in politics, but you wanted to be a doctor?” he asked. The fact that she wanted to save lives, rather than debate in a Senate, was endearing to him._

_Abby chuckled, “I always had assumed that I’d follow my parents into politics. Truth be told, all of that diplomacy and talking bored me to death. Dr. Kalonia treated me for a broken arm when I was a kid and we started talking about what I wanted to do with my life. I told her that I was interested in science and ever since then she guided me toward medicine. What can I say,” she shrugged, “I love helping people.” That’s all it took for Poe to be smitten with the young doctor sitting next to him. “Why did you join?” she asked, smiling at him._

_“I guess you could say that it’s in my blood,” he answered. Abby looked at him curiously. “Both my parents fought in the Rebellion against the Empire. My dad was in the infantry and my mom was a pilot. She’s the one who taught me how to fly. I was brought up to do what was right no matter how hard it would be. So, when General Organa asked me to join, well… how could I say no?” An alarm sounded and the ship dropped out of hyperspace. “Home, sweet home, Doc.”_

_888_

_They landed in a shipyard near Abby’s home and made their way on foot. When they entered the house, Abby’s parents greeted them in the front parlor. As she was introducing Poe to her parents, high-pitched squeal interrupted her._

_“MOMMY!” cried Sage, who ran into her mother’s arms._

_“Oh Sage, sweetheart!” Abby replied as she picked her daughter up and swung her around and around. “I missed you so much!” She put her daughter down and crouched to her level._

_Sage playfully laughed, “I missed you too, Mommy! You’ll never guess what we learned about in school this week! Letters! I can read, Mommy! See that? It says ‘loth-cat’!” she held up a drawing of a loth-cat and underneath it was labeled in aurebesh._

_“Good job, sweetheart!” Sage beamed at her mother’s praise. The little girl looked up at Poe and a small frown appeared._

_“Mommy, who’s that man?”_

_Abby looked up behind her at Poe. He stepped forward and pointed at his jacket. “What does that say?” he asked Sage._

_She sounded the letters out, “D-da-damer… um… Dam-er-on?”_

_He grinned at her, “That’s right! I’m Poe Dameron. I work with your mother.”_

_“Sage, Commander Dameron is going to stay with us while we’re here. I need you to be on your best behavior,” Abby said.  Sage looked skeptical. She was about to voice her opinion on the matter when her mother cut in, “Since he’ll be taking my room, I get to sleep with you. It’ll be like a sleepover!” Satisfied at the turn of events, Sage let out a whoop and ran back to her room to make preparations._

_“That child is full of energy,” Abby’s mother stated. “Please, Commander, won’t you join us for some refreshment?”_

_“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he replied. “I need to meet my contact in half an hour. I’ll probably be back after dark.” He gave his goodbyes and headed out._

_888_

_Insomnia was something Abby had been dealing with ever since her daughter was born. Any sleep that she did get was riddled with nightmares. This evening was no different. Frustrated, Abby decided to take a walk and get some fresh air. She left her daughter’s room, still in her sleep shirt, and headed to the terrace attached to her family’s home. On her way, she grabbed a decanter of Corellian whiskey and a glass tumbler. She stepped out on the terrace and saw that she wasn’t alone. Poe was standing at the railing, looking out at the city. Abby turned around to go back inside, afraid of breaking his solitude, but she clanked the glass and bottle together, alerting Poe to her presence._

_“You don’t have to leave, Doc,” he called to her without turning around._

_Surprised, Abby asked, “How did you know it was me?”_

_“Lucky guess,” he chuckled. “Can’t sleep?”_

_She joined him at the railing and set the decanter and glass down. “As usual, no,” she answered. “Hold on,” she said as she headed back inside. Poe watched after her curiously until she returned with a second glass tumbler in hand. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.” She poured a small amount of whiskey into each glass and gave one to Poe. They both took a sip._

_Poe sighed, “Wow, that’s good stuff.” They looked out at the city, sipping their drinks. “So, Doc, tell me. Why can’t you sleep?”_

_It’s not something Abby usually talked about, especially with someone she didn’t know well, but perhaps it was the warm night air and the good company. Or perhaps it was the whiskey making her head buzz. Whatever the reason, Abby decided for once to let her guard down. “Nightmares, usually. Tharis, Sage’s father, was killed while I was still pregnant. He was a good man, really, but he got caught up in a scheme with a Hutt, Grakkus, who was running an operation from the Megalox Beta prison. Tharis was on Nar Shaddaa for awhile, apparently that’s where he met Grakkus’s goons. He told me it was a foolproof deal. He’d fence some stolen goods, mostly Jedi artifacts, I think, and in turn Grakkus would pay him a hefty sum. I was angry, of course, but nothing I said changed his mind._

_“He ended up losing some of the merchandise and couldn’t pay Grakkus back. The Hutt’s gang roughed him up and threatened his life, so he ran home. Unfortunately for us, they followed Tharis back here. We had a small homestead just outside of Republic City. I was still in the medical academy and was in class when they found him there. When I got home, he was already dead.”_

_Poe was stunned. “Kriff, Abby. That’s… I don’t even know what that is.”_

_Bitterly, Abby replied, “Like I said before, it is what it is.” She sniffed then took a large mouthful of whiskey and swallowed. “Usually my nightmares are me finding him or Grakkus trying to take Sage away.” She turned to look at Poe. “I… I’m not angry at him for dying… for leaving_ me _. I cared for him, yes, but when I think about it, I don’t think I was in love. I guess I’m just angry that Sage has to grow up without her father,” she admitted. Poe nodded in understanding. “What about you? Why can’t you sleep?”_

_He gave a rueful grin, “Oh, the usual: combat flashbacks, regrets, lost friends.” He finished his whiskey and poured them both another glass. He laughed quietly to himself, “We make quite a pair, huh, Doc?”_

_Abby clinked her glass to his and said, “We sure do, Flyboy.” They finished their second glass of whiskey and stood in companionable silence. Feeling warm and relaxed from the drink, Abby took the opportunity to study Poe. He was only a little taller than she was. His dark, curly hair was long enough to cover one eye when it wasn’t combed back. His brown eyes were warm and inviting. She felt like she could get lost in them. He was a good man, too. Honorable, loyal, brave. And funny. A good sense of humor was near the top of her list of attractive attributes in a man. His lips looked soft; she wondered if they would feel soft against her own. She found herself leaning in closer to him. He didn’t back away, but leaned closer to her, watching her mouth get closer. His lips parted in anticipation. They were centimeters apart, lips closing in when they heard a small “Mommy, I can’t sleep.” Sage had come outside. “Were you two kissing?”_

_Embarrassed, they quickly jumped away from each other. Heart pounding in her ears, Abby walked over to Sage and picked the small girl up. “Okay, sweetheart, let’s tuck you back in and I’ll tell you a bedtime story.” Poe looked on fondly at Abby and her daughter. Abby smiled goodbye to him and started back inside. Sage looked over her mother’s shoulder and muttered a sleepy “Goodnight, Commander” to the pilot. Poe beamed. How could he go back to a military life after this?_

 

 


	3. Indecent Proposal

**Present. Endeavor. Unknown Regions**.

 Abby shook herself from her daydreaming. She had forgotten about that first trip with Poe years ago. He had quickly taken to her family, including her young daughter. Each time Abby wanted to go visit her family, Poe came up with an excuse to be the one to take her. He had told her there were supplies to pick up or intel to gather, but anyone could have done that, instead of a wing commander of the fleet. She had suspected that he enjoyed the delights that Republic City held, but she later discovered that her mother had made sure to make Poe’s favorite meals whenever he visited. _The way to a pilot’s heart is through his stomach,_ Abby laughed to herself.

 The engine power had begun to drain faster, so Abby got up and went back to work. She hooked up a reader to one of the engine arrays to see if she could “talk” to the Endeavor without a droid. It was difficult to get through the ship’s binary, but Abby surmised that the engine drain was caused by some broken energy dampeners. She reached up to unhook the reader and got a nasty shock to her hand. “Blast!” she cried. She dropped the reader and sucked on the burned skin. “Not too bad,” she said to herself. “Just superficial.”

 Abby was used to treating electrical burns, as a medic for the Resistance, she saw her fair share of pilots come into her infirmary with them. One pilot in particular visited her in the infirmary more often than any of the others. Unfortunately for him, he was treated for many other injuries besides just small burns. In fact, she had even treated him after he had crashed his ship. Several times. Poe Dameron may be an exceptional pilot, but he was also prone to accidents.

**Two years ago. Resistance Base. D’Qar.**

_Black Squadron had landed back at the base late in the day. It had been a rough mission for them. Poe had crash landed on a desert planet after learning that his mechanic, Oddy Muva, was the leak they had been trying to find. A First Order agent, Terex, had kidnapped Oddy’s wife in order to blackmail the mechanic into passing on information about Black Squadron’s movements. One of Black Squadron’s pilots, L’ulo L’ampar, had been killed in action during the mission. Poe took L’ulo’s death especially hard since the Duros pilot had helped raise him after his mother’s death. To top it all off, Poe had gotten into a fight with Agent Terex, who had stabbed Poe’s hand with a vibroblade. It was a thoroughly rotten day._

_Poe tried to keep up a brave façade for his squadron. As leader, he needed to distance himself from his grief and carry on. He composed himself as he got out of his X-wing and climbed down the ladder. His hand stung and he noticed that he had left blood on the ladder. He supposed he would need to make a trip to the infirmary to get his wound taken care of. The thought of seeing Abby put a smile on his face. If he could get through this without breaking down, he knew he’d be okay. And nothing could take his mind off of a rotten day like flirting with the pretty, young doctor._

_He and Abby had grown close over the last year. Any time he needed to fly out to Hosnian Prime for supplies or intel, she tagged along so she could visit with her family. Poe also enjoyed visiting with her family. Abby’s mother was horrified to learn that he had no family of his own and started treating him like a son. She also made sure to prepare his favorite meal when he was there. Poe got to know Abby’s daughter better as well. She was a fun kid to be around and became interested in flying. Poe was beginning to love Abby’s family as his own._

_When Poe reached the infirmary, he saw Abby sitting at her desk, reading a holopad with a frown on her face. He marveled at the fact that she was attractive even when she frowned; the crinkle that formed between her eyebrows was particularly endearing. Poe cleared his throat and announced himself, “Hey, beautiful!”_

_Abby looked up from what she was reading and her frown morphed into a look at concern. Poe assumed that she had just read the update about L’ulo. All hopes of solace fled, as he wasn’t looking forward to talking about his failed mission. Abby stood and walked over to him. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him. Poe let himself have a moment of weakness and allowed her to comfort him. She didn’t have to say anything; just her presence eased his grief. After a minute or so, Abby pulled back and studied his face. She smiled softly at him and asked, “So, what brings you to my infirmary, Flyboy?”_

_Grateful that she wasn’t going to push him for information on today’s events, he showed her his wounded hand. “Got into a bit of a scuffle.” She took his hand and examined the wound. He winced as she prodded the cut and fresh blood seeped out._

_“I’ll get this cleaned up, and then you can soak it in bacta for a couple of hours,” she informed him. “Here, sit down.” Poe sat on the medical bed and took a deep breath. Abby cleaned the blood from his hand and pulled a table over. She filled a small tub with bacta and placed it on the table beside him._

_Poe soaked his hand in the tub and sighed in contentment. “You always make it better, Doc,” Poe remarked about more than just his injury. He smiled as he watched Abby walk around the infirmary, gathering linens and other medical supplies to put away._

_“How many times have you been in my infirmary, Flyboy?”_

_Poe shrugged, “I guess about ten since you got here.”_

_Abby chuckled. “You need to be more careful, Poe. Someday you’re gonna come in here and I won’t be able to put you back together again.”_

_Poe scoffed, “Ain’t gonna happen, Doc. You’re the best doctor in the galaxy!”_

_Abby rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. “You’re such a charmer,” she joked. Poe sat back on the bed and relaxed for the first time in days. A warm sense of tranquility came over him as his hand was healing. It almost felt like he had one too many to drink._

_Poe looked over at Abby and with a sloppy grin he asked, “Hey, Doc. When you finish your shift, you wanna go to the canteen and get a drink with me?” Abby cocked an eyebrow, but didn’t answer. She was used to his flirting, but he had never asked her out before. “You know, Doc, you’re very pretty.” He laid his head back on the bed, but kept his eye on her._

_“That’s the bacta talking,” she replied, blushing. Even the synthetic bacta could have a euphoric affect on different people. It was difficult to predict how a patient might react. Some people panicked at the loss of control, while others easily went along for the ride. Poe was apparently the latter._

_Poe rolled onto his side, propping his head up on one arm, “No, no. I mean it, Abby! You’re so beautiful! Sometimes it’s hard to even look at you. Pretty Doc. Pretty Abby. Pretty Abs. Can I call you Abs? I’m gonna call you Abs, Doc.” His filter was practically non-existent. “You know, Abs, I’ve always wanted a family. Someday, after all of this, I’m gonna settle down and start a family.”_

_“That sounds really nice, Poe,” Abby replied._

_“Hey, you can come too! We can start a family together! You, me, Sage. We can live on Yavin 4. I’ll show her my Force tree! We can make babies too! Would Sage want a little brother or a little sister?” he rolled onto his back again and laid his head on the pillow. He continued, “Oh, why choose when we can have both! We’ll make a baby pilot and a baby doc, Doc! Or two baby pilots! Oh, maybe we’ll make ten babies. Doc, you wanna make a lot of babies with me? We’re gonna have a great family and a great life, Abby.” Poe trailed off and started snoring softly. He had fallen asleep, a small grin on his face._

_Bewildered, Abby shook her head and went back to her desk to finish some reports. Yes, bacta was a strange thing indeed._

 


	4. A Mother's Nightmare

 

**Present. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

Abby blushed at the memory of Poe high on bacta. _Doc, you wanna make a lot of babies with me?_ he had offered. Little did he know that, had he been serious, Abby would have jumped at the chance to make babies with Poe. At least, she would have loved the making part, not necessarily having more children. Heat traveled over her body at the thought of making love to Poe. She slammed her hydrospanner down. There was definitely no chance of that now. He had barely spoken to her in the last week. Angry tears formed as Abby went back to work on the main engines. She tried to not think of how she ruined their relationship.

A few hours later, DB-6 came in to meet her. He reported that the weapons system was still offline. Without using some of the precious little engine power, there was no way to get them up and running. He had also taken the liberty of talking to the Endeavor. He confirmed that the dampeners were an issue, but only part of the larger problem. The main engines were dying and the auxiliary engines weren’t far behind. Alarmed, Abby asked her droid what the odds of anyone friendly making their way out here to save them. DB-6’s prediction was not encouraging.

Abby decided to squeeze as much life out of the engines as she could to keep the life support system going. While she worked on that, she asked DB-6 to work on communications. She wasn’t sure if there were any habitable systems nearby, but she had to send a distress beacon. It might give her location away, but she supposed even help from unfriendly sources was better than no help at all. She felt sick at the thought that the First Order could be who rescued her. If it weren’t for them, her family might still be alive.

**Two years ago. Resistance Base. D'Qar.**

_It was dark. So dark that Abby couldn't find any point to focus on. And it smelled. The scent stung her nose. There was a metallic smell and sweat and... What was that? Blood? Yes, it was unmistakable now. She could smell blood. Suddenly a door opened and a masked figure walked through, silhouetted against the bright light beyond the room. The figure came closer and Abby was able to make out a dark cloak and a black and silver mask. A gloved hand reached out toward her and she heard a deep, menacing, mechanical voice, “Where is it?”_

Where was what _? she wondered. A pressure began to build in her head and her ears rang. She felt like she was being sliced in two._

_“The Resistance... will not be intimidated by you!” She was surprised to hear Poe's voice. He sounded like he was in intense pain. She looked around, but didn't see anyone other than the hooded figure._

_“Where... is it?” the mechanical voice asked again. This time the question was punctuated by Poe's scream. Suddenly, everything turned a bright red. Poe's scream melted away into hundreds, maybe even thousands of cries. Men, women, children all screaming in Abby's head. The red light got brighter and brighter, like it was coming closer. Abby turned around to see that she was outside of her parents' home. She looked toward the home and saw her parents and daughter run outside and look up toward the sky. Her mother yelled and her daughter cried out for her. Her father picked Sage up and grabbed his wife. He held them to his chest. Abby could see tears running down his face as he closed his eyes. The blinding light flashed.  As quickly as it had begun, it stopped. The light was gone and the cries extinguished. It was dark and the quiet was deafening._

_Abby abruptly sat up. She had fallen asleep at her desk in her quarters. There was no red light. No one was screaming. Poe was still on his secret mission. There was no hooded figure in her quarters. Bile rose to her throat. She barely made it to the 'fresher before emptying the contents of her stomach._ What the kriff was that? _she thought to herself. The water in the basin of the sink was cool and refreshing as she splashed it on her face and then rinsed her mouth out. The image of Sage's frightened face played through her mind. She needed to go for a walk._

_She left her quarters and made her way to the control room of the base. An officer was speaking with the General, who had an alarmed look on her face. Abby heard whispers go around the room,_ Poe's dead. Commander Dameron is gone. All is lost _._

_Holding her breath, Abby walked over to the General and gave her a questioning look. “Major Nemec, what can I help you with?” the General voice was controlled and tight._

_“Is it true? That Poe's...” Abby couldn't finish the question._

_In an attempt downplay the seriousness of Poe's situation, Leia replied, “We don't know for sure. The village he was sent to on Jakku was destroyed, but no one can find anything of the Commander or BB-8.” Crestfallen, Abby looked away until she felt the General's strong hand on her arm. “There's always hope, Abby. Don't despair.”_

_Abby thanked the General and started back to her quarters. This would mean she couldn't go home as planned. As she was walking down the passageway, her thoughts turned to Poe and the nightmare she'd had earlier. Her heart began to race as she replayed the events in her mind. She jogged the rest of the way to her quarters._

_Breathless, Abby sat down at her desk, determined to contact her parents and make sure Sage was okay. She entered the numbers for their home in Republic City. Rather than seeing the face of her mother or father, Sage's small, sweet face greeted her._

_“Mommy!” the girl exclaimed in excitement._

_Abby released a breath in relief. “Hi, sweetheart! I just wanted to check on you and see how you're doing. How's school?” Abby was thankful to see that the nightmare was just that._

_“It's so much fun, mommy! We're learning about the Jedi and Princess Leia and the Mulli-num Folon and everything!” Abby chuckled at her daughter trying to pronounce Millennium Falcon. “I can't wait to tell you all about it tomorrow!”_

_Abby's shoulders dropped. She dreaded breaking Sage's heart, but she was needed on base. “About that, sweetheart, can you go get Gran?”_

_Sage disappeared for just a minute and returned with Abby's mother. “Tabitha? What is it, love?”_

_“I won't be able to make it out to Hosnian Prime tomorrow, mama,” she hated disappointing her family._

_“No!” Sage whined. “You're coming! I say so!” Abby's mother shushed Sage._

_“Sage, honey, I can't. Remember our friend, Poe?” Sage nodded and Abby continued, “He's lost. And everyone has to be here to help look for him.” At the startled look on Sage's face, Abby added, “He's okay, sweetheart. We just have to help him get home.”_

_Still stricken, Sage asked, “Will my beacon help him, mommy? Pop gave it to me to wear when we go out in the city. I can give it to Poe!” she brightened at her own suggestion. The beacon will help find Poe, then he and her mother can come for a visit. Yes, she was a very clever girl indeed._

_“Not this time, honey.” The little girl lowered her head and tears freely fell from her eyes. “I’ll tell you what, Sage. As soon as we find Poe, I'll make plans to come for a long visit and I'll bring him with me. How does that sound?”_

_Sage stood and cheered. She continued to cheer and ran in circles in the background as Abby's mother spoke up, “Is your friend going to be alright, Tabitha? He's such a nice man.”_

_“Yes, mama. We'll find him soon. And yes, he's a very nice man.” Her mother raised an eyebrow and gave Abby a knowing look. Ever since his first visit to their home, Abby’s mother was convinced that Abby was in love with him, even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it.“Bye, mama,” exasperated, Abby ended the conversation._

_“Good-bye, Tabitha.”_

 


	5. The Force Awakens

 

**Present. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

The mechanical scream started low. Abby had mistaken it for one of the usual creaks one would hear in these old ships. As the scream intensified, Abby rose from her position by the engine array in a panic. She ran from the room and to the cockpit console where DB-6 was plugged into a socket. Sparks flew between the console and the ball droid. All of his tools, arms, and cables flew from his body as he was being electrocuted. Abby could only watch in horror as the droid died in front of her. He was not only essential to keeping the ship running; he had become a good friend to Abby. She often considered him the only one she could always rely on nowadays.

Once it was over, the droid’s head fell to the ground and away from his body. She wasn’t a mechanic, and knew little about fixing droids, but she hoped that he would be able to be repaired. If they ever made it home, that is. Abby sat on the floor next to DB-6 cradled his head in her arms. She sat there staring into his optical sensor, willing him to come back to life.

Abby felt more alone than she had in a long time. The last time she had felt despair of this proportion was right after the Hosnian Cataclysm. Only this time, there were no friends here to help her pick up the pieces of her broken heart. Her father had been right. Her luck had finally run out.

**Two years ago. Resistance Base. D'Qar.**

_Leia walked through the almost empty corridor, the weight of the world on her shoulders. The shock of the Hosnian System being destroyed was almost debilitating. Her heart felt the loss of all those lives. She had to focus on the task at hand. She needed Commander Dameron to fly the next mission almost immediately. And she had a young mother's heart to shatter. This was undoubtedly the worst part of her job. Major Nemec's family was on Hosnian Prime. Her small daughter, Sage, was expecting her mother to visit any day now. She was only what? Five or six? So small and so innocent. This war had already cost the lives of millions and Leia was on her way to destroy one more._

_She paused outside of the infirmary. She heard the Commander, who had only just returned from Jakku, say something that triggered Major Nemec's melodious laughter. She could see them in her mind's eye. Abby would be wiping the cuts on Poe's bruised face, brow furrowed in concentration as her eyes focused on each individual laceration and applying a bacta balm. Poe would try to lighten the mood with a joke or even some light flirting. Abby would playfully smack his shoulder and smile, which would only encourage him to continue._

_Leia was reluctant to go in and break the last moment of peace the two would have for a long while, but Threepio had located BB-8 and there was no time to lose. It sounded to her like the Major was finishing her ministrations, so Leia walked in the room just as Poe was sitting up on the bed. Her somber demeanor stopped them both. The hair on the back of Abby's neck and arms prickled and a shiver ran down her spine._

_“General?” Abby asked._

_Leia nodded imperceptibly. “Major. Commander,” she replied, looking at each as she addressed them. “I'm afraid I have some grave news. We don't know how yet, but the First Order have destroyed the Hosnian System.”_

_Leia continued to speak, but Abby's ears were ringing and she didn't hear anything else. The air was too thick to breathe. Her head was so hot that she thought her hair would catch fire. It felt as if a Bantha was standing on her chest. When had it become this hard to breathe? The pressure building behind her eyes was oppressive and her vision began to blur. Her entire family was on Hosnian Prime. Her parents, sister, niece and nephews. Her daughter. Her sweet little Sage. And now they were gone. Everyone was gone in the blink of an eye. So_ needlessly.

  _Poe swiftly stood and caught Abby by the elbow and waist as her legs began to give. He turned her around to sit on the medical bed and stood in front of her. He stooped a little to stay in her field of vision, but couldn't catch her eye; she was staring through him at nothing. “No, it's not-- It_ can't _be true,” she whispered through ragged breaths. “Tell me it's a lie. You're mistaken. It was another system! Please, General? Poe?” Her imploring eyes went from Poe to Leia and back again as tears began to flow freely. “Please.” she pleaded softly. She sucked in a large breath and held it, waiting for someone to tell her it wasn't true._

_"_ _I'm so sorry, Abby,” Leia's heart broke for the Major. She knew that none of her words could help the young doctor right now. Abby blew out the breath she was holding and looked away while tears spilled down her cheeks. Leia knew firsthand the pain of losing one's family and entire planet. She stepped closer and squeezed Abby's hand. She gave Poe the details of the next mission and turned to leave the infirmary. When she reached the door, she spoke without looking at them, voice cracking, “You need to be prepared to leave in half an hour, Commander.”_

_“Of course, General.”_

_She turned to look at the pilot, “Poe, take her outside to get some air.” He acknowledged with a tight nod. Leia walked out of the infirmary and back to the control room to prepare to leave for Takodana._

888

 

**After the destruction of Starkiller Base. Resistance Base. D'Qar.**

_Poe entered his quarters with the intent of changing out of his flight suit and hopping into the shower. Despite heavy losses, it had been a successful mission and they were safe for now. He walked toward the 'fresher when he spotted a small bag and a toy ship on his desk. He had meant to send those to Sage on Abby's next trip home. He'd grown fond of the little girl over the last year. He picked up the toy and spun it in his hand to get a better look at it. It was an older model of an A-wing, just like the one his mother flew in the Rebellion. Sage had expressed an interest in ships after he told her what he did for a living._ She's very young and impressionable _, Abby had told him,_ it's just a little crush _._

_He remembered the tight hug the little girl gave him the last time he escorted Abby to her home world. Sage beamed as bright as the Tatooine suns when he had brought her a toy X-wing. He could still hear her small voice,_ Thank you, Commander Dam-er-on! _She struggled with his name. He had chuckled at her use of his title._ Hey, short stuff. Why don't you just call me Poe? _he had offered._

_A sad smile ghosted his features. He looked at the bag still sitting on the table. It was full of candied bofa fruit he'd picked up in the Outer Rim. He had remembered Abby telling him how much Sage loved the candy and had asked if he knew where she could get some out this far. It mocked him with how useless it had all been. It was a reminder of what was lost, of his failure. He picked the bag up and with an anguished cry he threw it hard against the wall. The bag split open and candied bofa fruit flew everywhere. The A-wing, still in his hand, soon followed and it shattered to pieces all over the floor. Another scream ripped from his throat and he collapsed on his bunk in hot, angry tears. What good was all of this if he couldn't protect the most innocent of lives?_

_After he'd had his cry, Poe went to the 'fresher to finally clean up and change. He passed his reflection in the mirror and did a double take. Despite having been tortured yesterday, or it was maybe two days ago, he looked healthy. Maybe a little tired, but the cuts and bruises were healing nicely._ Thanks to Abby _, he remembered. Abby. No matter how upset he was, he knew Abby was feeling a thousand times worse. She was in the infirmary, assisting Major Kalonia with Finn's injury. She was trapped in there, unable to grieve, unable to fall to pieces, unable to feel. He made up his mind to go see her and check on Finn after his shower._

_A short while later, Poe made his way back to the infirmary. Finn was sedated and under a healing pod. Sitting next to him was the girl Finn went to Starkiller to save. She looked about as tired as Poe felt. He looked around for Abby, but she wasn't there. He stopped a young orderly, “Hey, you seen the doc?” The orderly was trying to decipher which doctor he meant when Poe clarified, “Abby. Younger, dark hair, about this tall?” He held his hand up to demonstrate her height._

_"_ _Oh! Major Nemec left about five minutes ago. It looked like she was headed to the hanger in a hurry.”_

_“Thanks, pal.” Poe clapped the orderly on the back as he ran off toward the hanger. He knew her destination. There was a small clearing in the woods beside the tarmac. Abby had once said that she went there to clear her head. That's usually where Poe would find her after a particularly tough day. He jogged faster, hoping to catch up to her._

_Outside the sun was exceptionally bright and Poe had to squint to make out any of the shapes in front of him. Off in the distance, he spotted a woman with dark hair and a brown uniform disappear into the woods. He had been right about where she was going. Poe followed, closing the distance. After a few minutes on a small path, Poe could see Abby standing in the middle of the clearing, face up to the sky. He heard a heartbreaking wail that seemed too big to come from any one person._

_Abby collapsed onto the ground from the effort and continued to cry out, one right after the other, each as loud and as heart-wrenching as the last. It felt as if she was shouting the very soul out of her body. The tears came as quickly and with as much force as her wails.  She felt strong arms envelope her from behind and pull her close. She heard Poe's muffled voice, “I've got you. I've got you, Abs. I'm here.” His head was lying on top of hers and he continued to whisper his mantra into her hair._

_Her body shook with despair as he rocked her in comfort. She cried a hundred thousand tears, and it still was not enough. Her breaking heart ached in her chest and she held onto Poe's arms as if she were clinging to him for her very life. She stayed there for what felt like hours, wrapped in his arms, screaming and crying in sorrow until her throat was raw and her eyes were dry. She sat there until there was nothing left in her. It was dark now; she hadn't even noticed the sun go down. Abby turned around in his arms and looked up at Poe. She could tell, even in the moonlight, that he'd shed tears as well._

_“Hey,” she said lamely._

_“Hey,” he replied. He wasn't sure what to say to her. “Abby--”_

_“Thanks, Poe. For everything,” she interrupted. Sitting up out of his embrace, she continued, “I'm sorry I cried all over you and kept you out past dark.”_

_“Hey,” he cupped her cheek and his thumb traced the tear stains on her face, “anything you need, day or night, come find me. Okay?”_

_She gave him a small smile, “Okay.”_

_They both rose and wiped the dirt from their pants._

_“I'll walk you back?” Poe offered his arm for comfort. Abby wrapped her arm through his and they slowly made their way back to the base in silence._

 


	6. The Last Jedi, part I

 

**Two years ago. Resistance Base. D’Qar.**

_The Resistance had to evacuate D'Qar as soon as possible. Spies had reported back that the First Order were on their way. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that the base would be destroyed in retaliation for blowing up Starkiller Base. Time was precious, so the order was given to evacuate, with little thought in bringing personal belongings. Abby went back to her quarters to grab the only thing she needed: an image of her family that was taken the year before she left Hosnian Prime. This was all she had left of them and she wasn't going to leave it behind. She pulled the image from its frame and tucked it into the inner pocket of her uniform jacket._

_Abby reached the outer tarmac in time to take the last transport to the Resistance ship, Raddus. Lieutenant Kaydel Connix anxiously pointed her to the transport just before three Star Destroyers came out of hyperspace above the planet. The last of the Resistance transports took off right as a cannon fired and destroyed the base on D'Qar. Shaken, Abby watched through the window as a single Resistance fighter took on a Dreadnought class ship. "Force be with him," she said under her breath, as others gathered at the window watching. Several were trying to guess who the brave pilot was. She only knew of one pilot good enough and crazy enough to pull off that stunt: her friend, Poe. Everyone was glued to the scene in front of them; no one noticed the wing of Tie-fighters flying toward the cruiser. Thankfully, the transport made it to the Raddus's hanger bay in time._

_Abby disembarked from the transport and felt the cruiser go into hyperspace. Relieved, she headed to her post in the temporary Medbay that had been set up. The medical droids were knowledgeable and efficient, but sometimes medicine required more than knowledge and efficacy. Instead, the empathy and compassion of a sentient being was the best medicine. Abby was happy to be assigned to the main transport, rather than the medical frigate. She enjoyed being around more than just medical personnel right now. In fact, in the little time since the Hosnian Cataclysm, Abby had considered leaving medicine to join in the fight, to be a more active member of the Resistance. She knew how to shoot a blaster and with a little training, she felt like she would be more useful in the field than stuck on a base. She made a mental note to speak to General Organa about it after they reached their destination._

_When Abby got close to the Medbay, she noticed long puddles of liquid going down the passageway. She crouched down to investigate, but the smell of the synthetic bacta reached her nose before she bent any further toward the liquid. Finn, who had been injured recently, was transported to the ship in a flexpoly bacta suit. Abby guessed that he had woken up and that the older suit was finally worn out and had begun leaking. She followed the trail of liquid to a closed door that she assumed was crew quarters. She raised her hand to knock, but the door opened and Poe, still in his flight suit, came barreling out into the passageway, knocking into her. "Abby!" he happily exclaimed while holding her steady. "You're not on the medical frigate?"_

_"No, the General thought that Finn might need me here. Have you seen him? His bacta is all over the place," she queried._

_Poe stood aside and she saw Finn, dressed in some of Poe's clothes, putting on a leather jacket. "He's right here. Saw him when I got back and thought he probably wanted to get out of that bag."_

_Abby pushed past Poe into the room and went up to Finn. They had met briefly before the battle at Starkiller, but he was still apprehensive around new people. "Finn, how are you feeling? Any stiffness? Any pain?"_

_"No, ma'am, I'm fine. I just need to speak to the General as soon as possible."_

_Abby laid a hand on his arm. "Of course, I won't keep you. Just come find me if you feel any dizziness or pain, okay?" she looked him in the eye to make sure he was listening to her. He seemed like he was a million parsecs away, but he nodded and walked back into the passageway to Poe. Satisfied, Abby followed him out of the room. Walking beside Poe, she asked, "So was that you taking on an entire fleet out there, Flyboy?" Poe quickly turned to look at her, seeing a stern look on her face, with a hint of a smile playing at her lips. He hadn't seen her even attempt a smile for days. It was good to see._

_He chuckled at her and nodded. "You saw that, huh? Impressive, wasn't it?" He knew that Abby didn't care about heroics, but her opinion of him was important. He wanted her to see him as brave and as someone who could protect the Resistance. If he were being honest with himself, he wanted to protect her most of all because he cared for her a lot more than he should._

_"Not if you end up back in my infirmary, it's not," she chided. "But then again, blowing up a dreadnought is pretty impressive."_

_High on adrenaline and with a smile as bright as a thousand suns, Poe clapped her on the back and said, "See, I knew you loved me, Doc!"_

_"See you later, Flyboy," she laughed to herself as she turned toward the Medbay, leaving Poe and Finn to find the General._

_888_

_The Medbay was set up in an old storage room and was only supposed to be temporary, but Abby wasn't going to let that stop her from organizing the supplies and making more room. She was taking stock of the medical supplies that had been loaded when she felt the ship shudder. Suddenly alarms started going off all over the ship. She felt the ship shudder again and looked out of the window to see debris floating away from the ship. Surely they hadn't been hit. If she remembered correctly, the Raddus had excellent shields. She felt a chill go down her spine and she was overwhelmed by a sudden sense of dread._

_A third, harder shudder shook Abby enough that she lost her balance. She scrambled back up to her feet and ran out to the passageway to see if there was anything she could do to help. As she rounded a corner, she was nearly toppled by Poe, Finn, and Lieutenant Connix running full speed toward the bridge. Abby followed them, fearful that this was a medical emergency. Unfortunately, her instinct was correct. She made it to the bridge door in time to see the General falling through. The bridge had been blown up and everyone in it had been sucked into space. Abby couldn't fathom how the General survived, much less make her way back inside._

_Abby took charge of the situation and began giving orders to anyone nearby. They lifted General Organa to a hover-stretcher and put a respirator to her face. They quickly made their way to the Medbay where Abby had the General placed on a bunk. She found a medical pod and placed it over the General, assessing the readings. “It’s going to be touch and go, but I believe she’ll survive,” she informed the crowd that had gathered in the small room. “I’m going to need everyone to leave,” she commanded. “The General needs to rest.”  Everyone except Poe and Threepio followed Abby’s order._

_“Comm- uh- Captain Dameron, shall I report to Commander D’Acy?” Threepio asked. Abby cocked an eyebrow toward Poe at the droid’s use of “Captain” rather than “Commander,” but she said nothing. Poe turned to Threepio and told him to update the Commander. He turned back to Abby, shrugged his shoulders, and mouthed_ What?

_“Captain?” she inquired._

_“Apparently the General wasn’t as impressed by my dreadnought plan as you were.”_

_Abby moved closer to Poe, preparing to scold him, when she noticed for the first time that he was covered in soot and favoring his right side. “Kriff, Poe! What the hell happened to you? You look like you were in an explosion!”_

_Poe’s face fell. Bravado pushed aside, tears filled his eyes, but didn’t fall. His voice cracking, he said, “The hanger bay, Abs. All those pilots and mechanics. We lost Cobalt Squadron in the battle. We lost the rest in the hanger bay. They’re all gone. BB-8 and I had just gone in and were blown clear. If I’d have gotten there ten seconds sooner, I’d have been…” Poe swallowed hard. He couldn’t finish the thought. Shocked, Abby laid a hand on his shoulder for comfort. He reached up and placed his hand over hers and squeezed. Tears that had only threatened to fall earlier now fell freely. Abby reached around him and held Poe while he quietly mourned his friends. When he was done he thanked her, embarrassed that he’d let his guard down. “Thanks, Abs. I needed that. It was either you or Threepio, and I have a feeling his hugs wouldn’t be as comforting,” Poe laughed. The motion made him flinch in pain, which didn’t go unnoticed by Abby._

_“You’re injured. Let me take a look,” she said as she picked up the medisensor and scanned him. “There are a few broken ribs, but that looks to be it. I’ll wrap your ribs so you can still function without too much pain. Here, take off your flight suit and put these on,” she handed him a set of hospital clothes she found. “Leave your shirt off, though, so I can wrap you.” He gave her a cheeky grin as he got up to go change behind the changing screen._

_“Knew you’d find a way to get me out of my flight suit one of these days.”_

_“Just… go!” she blushed and busied herself with the settings on the General’s pod._ If he’s joking around, then he must not be in too much physical pain _, she thought. Poe finished changing and came out from behind the screen. Abby tried very hard to look at him only as a patient. She desperately tried not to notice his chest, adorned with the right about of chest hair, or his arms that had just the right amount of muscle tone. Her lips parted as she had difficulty in not raking her eyes over his beautiful tanned form. “Damn,” she muttered to herself.  She didn’t think it was possible, but his grin widened considerably._

_“Like what you see, Doc?”_

_She composed herself, “Shut up.” She pointed at the chair in front of her and he sat. All joking aside, Poe was pleased that he could ruffle her so easily. In the years that they’d known each other, he’d tried and failed many times to break her professional demeanor. He had a feeling that fun and jokes would be scarce from now on. Abby finished wrapping his torso with a bacta bandage and he stood up to test it out. He moved both arms around and barely felt any pain._

_“That’s much better, thanks, Abs.” His communicator beeped and he walked to the other side of the room to answer. She took the opportunity to appreciate his toned back and shoulders. Abby gave herself a mental smack. What was she thinking? This was_ Poe, _her friend, not some guy at a cantina that she could fawn over from afar. She took a deep breath and collected herself. When he was done, he disappeared behind the screen to change back into his flight suit. He came back over to Abby and said, “D’Acy has called a meeting in the emergency bridge. I better go clean up. I’ll meet you there?”_

_Abby nodded and Poe left to clean up. She finished up a few things and set up her communicator to alert her if any of the General’s vitals changed. By the time she got down to the emergency bridge, nearly every seat was taken, so Abby found a place in the back to stand. The Commander updated the crew on the General’s condition, then introduced Vice Admiral Holdo, who would step up to lead what was left of the Resistance in General Organa’s absence._

_888_

_After the meeting ended, Abby found herself thinking back on what the Vice Admiral had said._ We are the spark that will light the fire that will restore the Republic. _She took Holdo’s words to heart. They needed to survive and live to fight another day. She reached the makeshift Medbay and checked on General Organa. No change._

_Abby settled down next to the window and pulled out the image she had retrieved from her quarters earlier that day. The faces of her parents, sister and her sister’s husband, nephews and niece, and daughter stared back at her. Tears tumbled down Abby’s cheeks as she thought of her family. Her thumb lovingly caressed her daughter’s face. A face she would never see again. She would never see her daughter grow. Sage was frozen in time, forever a hopeful child. Abby’s resolve was cemented in this moment. She would put an end to the First Order, with or without help. She would see them burn._

_Poe, having changed from his flight suit, entered the Medbay to check in with Abby. He felt restless and frustrated. His job was to fight, not to sit idly by. He wanted to take the fight to the First Order rather than wait for something to happen. Most of all, he wanted to protect what was left of his friends. He wanted to protect Abby. This Vice Admiral just didn’t understand the way things were done here. She didn’t understand him. He supposed that’s why he had been lucky to be under Leia Organa’s command. She understood that he worked best when given free reign, instead of being kept out of the loop and told to wait._

_His thoughts were interrupted when he spotted Abby’s tear strewn face. How could he have been so stupid? So selfish? Of course she was still mourning her family as it had been mere days since their planet was destroyed and here he was, hurt because he had been scolded like a child. He went over to the window and crouched in front of Abby. He slipped the image from her hands and looked at it. Sage’s sweet, smiling face looked up at him from the image. He loved that little girl as if she were his own family._

_Poe placed the image on the table beside them. With a pang in his heart, he took Abby’s hands and asked, “You okay, Abs? Do you need a break?” Even when she cried, she was so beautiful._

_She smiled softly at him and shook her head, “No, I’ve got to keep busy so I don’t think about it.” Abby’s communicator suddenly went off. She looked down and a frown returned to her face. “Vice Admiral Holdo wants to see me. Can you sit with the General while I go?”_

_“Yeah, yeah of course. Hope you have better luck with Holdo than I did.” He got up and went to stand next to the General. Confused, Abby just nodded her thanks and left the Medbay._

_“Major Nemec! Major!” she turned around to see who was calling her and saw Finn with one of the mechanics, Rose Tico._

_“Hey, Finn. I’m just on my way to the bridge. What can I help you with?”_

_Finn and Rose looked at one another, then Finn asked, “I need to find Poe. Have you seen him?”_

_“Yeah, he’s in the Medbay looking after the General for me. Is everything okay?”_

_This time Rose answered, “I hope so, Major. Thanks.” They took off in a hurry. Abby shrugged as she turned to make her way to the bridge._ It’s none of my business, _she reminded herself._

_She found the Vice Admiral standing on the bridge, surrounded by advisors. She smiled when she saw Abby and waved her forward. “Excuse us,” she said to the other officers and met Abby half way._

_“Major Nemec. You wanted to see me, Vice Admiral?”Abby reported in._

_“Yes, I wanted to let you know that you’re doing a wonderful job with General Organa. Thank you for taking such good care of her for us,” Vice Admiral praised. Abby looked at the taller woman, astonished at receiving praise for just doing her job. Holdo continued, “There’s something else I wanted to speak to you about, too. Do you have time?”_

_“Of course, Vice Admiral. Anything you need.”_

_Holdo smiled at Abby. She leaned in and asked, “You’re close to Captain Dameron, are you not?”_

_“I am.”_

_The Vice Admiral leaned in just a little closer, “I know he’s been under a lot of stress and has suffered some trauma recently. In your medical opinion, and as his friend, do you believe he is behaving as he normally would?”_

_“I don’t under—“_

_Holdo interrupted, “He seems a little more impatient and hot-tempered than usual, but I only have his reputation to go on. Do you think he’s fit for duty?”_

_“Oh,” Abby’s eyes widened in understanding. “Oh! Yes, he’s fine. I checked for concussion and there was no head injury. Poe’s just… well, Poe. He’s passionate. And stubborn. But he’s one of the best people I know.”_

_Vice Admiral Holdo seemed to relax at Abby’s words. “I knew asking you would be the right thing to do. Thank you, Major. And please, let me know if anything changes with Leia’s condition.”_

_“Of course, Vice Admiral. Thank you.” Holdo turned around and went back to her circle of advisors, glancing around to give Abby a brief smile._

_On her way back to the Medbay, Abby passed Poe, who was supposed to be watching her patient. “Poe? What’re you doing? Is the General okay?”_

_Poe turned to look at Abby, walking backwards in the other direction. “Yeah, no change. Can’t talk, gotta go. I’ll fill you in later.”_

_“Oh! Did Finn and Rose find you?” Abby yelled after him._

_Poe had turned his back to her, continuing to walk away, and waved his hand at her. “Can’t talk, Abs!” he yelled back at her as he disappeared around a corner._

_888_

_Several hours later…_

_Abby sat down hard into the chair. “They can track us?” she asked Poe._

_“That’s how they followed us all the way out here. So no matter where we go, the First Order can follow us. We don’t have much fuel left either, Abs. That’s why Finn and Rose left.”_

_She was unsure of her next question. Poe had been short-fused lately. “Does Vice Admiral Holdo know all of this?”_

_He sent her a sharp look, but answered, “She knows about the tracking and the fuel. She doesn’t know about Finn and Rose. And she isn’t gonna know, right?” His pointed look said everything that needed to be said: she needed to keep quiet._

_“Poe…” she started. He walked away, a frustrated hand running through his hair. “She needs to know. You have to tell her.”_

_“I knew you wouldn’t understand. Why did I even try?” he growled. Abby bristled at that. “She doesn’t understand how we do things here. This isn’t the Ninka, this is the whole fleet!”_

_Now she was getting frustrated. Without thinking, she yelled, “And it’s not your command,_ Captain! _” That hit a nerve. Poe was angry and it showed. Abby didn’t think she’d ever seen him look at her this way. It chilled her to the bone._

_“She wouldn’t have approved of it. And it’s too late anyway. They’ve gone to find a code breaker and get on that First Order ship to disable the tracker. Do you know what Holdo’s doing right now?” He didn’t wait for an answer, “Putting what’s left of our fuel in the transports so we can abandon ship. We’ll be unshielded and unprotected,” he replied coolly.  Softer, he added, “You have to trust me, Abs. This is the only way to save us.”_

_Abby looked at him closely, he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted. She thought back to the conversation she had earlier with Holdo. Now she wasn’t so confident in her answer to the Vice Admiral. Maybe she missed something in the scan or it’s the lack of sleep, but Poe didn’t seem himself. He was frustrated and not thinking clearly. And he was still dealing with the loss of the majority of the fleet. She decided on a different approach. She would try to get him to see reason, that he needed to at least tell the Vice Admiral. She realized she was treading on thin ice, so she tried again, but in a more soothing tone._

_“I do trust you, Poe. And I understand why they left. I’m not arguing that at all. I’m just wondering if, perhaps, the Vice Admiral needs to know so she can plan our escape.” She added as he started to protest, “It’s no less than you’d expect in your command, Poe. Like you said, it’s done and she can’t change it. But she does need to be aware of it.”_

_Poe slumped into a chair next to her and sighed. “You’re right, Abs. I’ll tell her, but if she tries to stop it, I’ll…” he seemed at a loss._

_“You’ll...?” she prompted._

_“Well, I’ll probably do something you definitely won’t like. I’m not about to let this mission fail,” he stood and walked toward the door, intending to leave. He turned back to Abby and pointed at the General. “When she wakes up, don’t tell her anything. Let me handle it.” Abby started to protest, but he cut her off. “Not a word, Abby. Promise me.”_

_“Not a word.”_

_888_

_Abby paced in the passageway after Poe had left. She was worried about the ship’s safety, about escaping the First Order. Most of all, she was worried about what Poe would do if Holdo didn’t agree with his plan. She didn’t have to wait long as Poe stormed by without sparing her a look, followed by a couple of pilots and Lieutenant Connix._

_“Kaydel? What’s—“_

_“We’re taking the ship. Holdo won’t listen,” Lieutenant Connix replied. She ran to catch up to Poe and left Abby standing there, bewildered._

Taking the ship, _she wondered,_ that means… _“Mutiny.  Karabast!” Abby ran back to the Medbay and approached the comatose General._

_“General... Leia. If you can hear me, please wake up. We need you. Poe’s in trouble and I don’t know what to do,” she pleaded as she laid her hand on the older woman’s. She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer. Abby felt the slightest twinge of Leia’s fingers. Her eyes shot open just as Leia was regaining consciousness. “Leia! Uh…General, sorry, General!” Abby lifted the pod and helped the General sit up._

_“Major,” Leia replied. “What’s wrong?” she asked, concerned. She started to get up from the bunk, but had to sit back down. Her legs weren’t cooperating just yet._

_Abby looked around and found a walking stick to give the older woman. “The First Order are still chasing us, we’re almost out of fuel, and I think Poe just started a mutiny,” Abby said in one breath._

_Leia reached out to steady herself and stood once more, with Abby’s help. “Well, let’s go get my ship back.” Determined, the women left the Medbay for the emergency bridge. For the first time today, Abby felt hope._

 


	7. The Last Jedi, part II

 

**Two years ago. Raddus. Outer Space.**

_Abby was beside herself with fear. All personnel had been ordered to board smaller, cloaked transports. They were headed for an abandoned Rebel base on the mineral planet, Crait. Cloaked, they were invisible to the First Order, but that didn’t stop the feeling of dread that grew in the pit of her stomach as they took off. She was in a transport with several newer recruits and a few medical personnel. The General had offered her a place on her transport, but Abby declined. The General had recovered as much as she could in the short time, so she wasn’t needed. She had also broken her promise to Poe to keep quiet about his plan and had told the General everything. As a result, Poe had been stunned and was lying unconscious on the General’s transport. Abby didn’t want to be there to take the brunt of his anger when he awoke to find that they were no longer on the Raddus. She wasn’t sure if he would forgive her betrayal, since honor and loyalty were extremely important to him. She just hoped that she had made the right decision._

_After several tense minutes, they were far enough away from the Raddus that she could see Crait from the window. The base was abandoned, but heavily fortified. Abby sighed in relief, soon they would be safe. She looked out of the window behind her in time to see one of the transports explode from blaster fire. Somehow the First Order must have detected the cloaked ship and were now firing their weapons on the defenseless transports. After a moment of stunned silence, the other passengers began to panic. Most had never even seen a battle, much less been in one._

_Another transport exploded on the other side of them. One of the younger techs, Lieutenant Pallas, cried out in horror. Abby went over to the young woman and pulled her into her arms. Another, closer explosion caused everyone to fall to the floor in terror. Abby and the Lieutenant sat on the floor, clinging to one another while groups of other passengers did the same. Suddenly, Abby remembered stories from long ago about the Guardians of the Whills. They weren’t Force users, like the Jedi, but they believed in the Force so much so that they guarded the temples and the precious kyber crystals. Abby was no Jedi, but she believed the Force was with her this day. In times of distress, she would recite one of the Guardians’ prayers. She muttered the prayer over and over while transports exploded all around._

_“I am One with the Force; the Force is with me. I am One with the Force; the Force is with me.”_

_She thought of her family and of her daughter, who had perished on Hosnian Prime. She thought of Finn and Rose, aboard an enemy ship, and their futile attempt to save what was left of the Resistance. She thought of her friends in the transports, some who would not survive. She thought of Poe, the not-so-reluctant hero that she had grown so close to over the years. It was then that her heart filled with hope. She would see him again. She just knew it. He might still be angry with her, but she didn’t care. They’d be alive._

_“I am One with the Force; the Force is with me. I am One with the Force; the Force is with me.”_

_Shivers went down Abby’s spine and the hair on the back of her neck stood. She had a sense of righteous anger and determination, but these feelings were not her own. Alarmed, she stood, handing Lieutenant Pallas over to another frightened passenger. Abby went to the window and saw the Raddus turning. The large cruiser came between the First Order ships and the transports. Others followed her to the window and looked on. “The Vice Admiral is leaving! Holdo is leaving us!” someone screamed. Abby hadn’t known that the Vice Admiral had stayed behind on the Raddus. She held her breath as she saw the engine powering up. And in a split second the Raddus entered hyperspace, right through the First Order ships, destroying itself and tearing the enemy ships in two. An audible gasp rang around the crowd at the transport._

_“No,” Abby whispered, “Holdo saved us.”_

_888_

 

_The transports that were left landed in the base on Crait. Abby walked down the ramp and her heart dropped when she noticed how few of the Resistance fighters remained. She made a mental note of the friends who survived. Kaydel Connix saw Abby and gave a small wave. A few other officers and pilots made eye contact with her and nodded. Apparently, everyone was looking to see who had made it. Abby turned around to see an anguished Poe looking franticly for someone. He locked eyes with her and his features relaxed. Relieved that he was alive, she gave him a small smile that he returned. Just then, General Organa came down the ramp of her transport and headed straight to the open door of the hanger bay. Blasters in hand, other fighters positioned themselves behind bins and crates that were stacked around the bay. It was a waiting game._

_As Abby went back to the transports to see what supplies had been brought with them, she heard a panicked, “MOVE! MOVE!” She turned to see a First Order shuttle squeeze itself through the closing bay door, losing its wings in the process. Tie-fighters were not far behind it and were firing inside the base before the door finally closed. Hiding by the transports, she watched as the First Order shuttle was fired on, only to see two pairs of hands rise up from the window in surrender. The shots ceased and Finn and Rose popped out of the open shuttle window. BB-8 rolled down the ramp to Poe, who kneeled down and affectionately rubbed the droid. Relieved that Finn, Rose, and BB-8 had survived their ill-fated encounter with the First Order, Abby resumed her task of finding the supplies._

_It took her the better part of an hour to find the supplies and pull what would be needed. There were several medpacks, military rations, water, weapons, and scanners that she brought to the command center. Exhausted from her work, Abby sat on one of the containers in the command center and listened to the plan that was being formed. The First Order had a battering-ram cannon of sorts, so Poe would lead the found skim-speeders on an assault to take it down. Meanwhile, anyone who couldn’t fly would be in the trench just outside of the base. There were several turret guns to be manned and the fighters in the trench were to lay down cover fire for the skim-speeders. This was their last hope._

_Knowing that flying was not her strongest skill, Abby volunteered to lay down fire in the trench. Poe overheard her, but said nothing. His expression was closed as he gave her a blaster rifle. “You know how to use this, right?” he asked her._

_“Yeah, I had a few lessons when I signed up. Point, aim, and shoot.”_

_He looked like he was about to laugh, but composed himself, “More or less,” he replied. “Just exhale when you shoot. Don’t tense up. And here,” He plopped a heavy helmet onto her head. “Wear this at all times.” Abby gave him a mock salute and turned to leave. Poe reached out and caught her by the arm, “If it gets bad, you run, okay? Don’t be a hero, Abs. Run.”_

_Uncertain, Abby looked into his worried eyes and saw that he meant every word. “You too, Flyboy.” Poe smiled as he dropped her arm. “May the Force be with you, Poe.” With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Abby left to take her place in the trench._

_In reality, the battle didn’t last long, but to Abby it was an eternity. The skim-speeders flew overhead and the order was given to fire on the AT-ATs. Abby inhaled, aimed, exhaled, and pulled the trigger. It seemed to work, though her shots didn’t even leave a mark on the walkers. She knew that they didn’t have enough firepower to put a dent in the First Order’s forces, but they had to try. They were only there to buy time for the speeders to get to the cannon._

_Tie-fighters were quickly sent out and fired at the turrets and the trench. Abby ducked down as a shot hit next to her. Several of her comrades were killed instantly. She looked down and saw Lieutenant Pallas lying motionless on the ground, her lifeless eyes staring straight ahead. Shocked, but with no time to mourn, Abby aimed at the Ties flying overhead and fired shot after shot, but nothing penetrated the armor. The Ties continued their assault on the trench. Red mineral flew into the air with each blast that hit the ground. It reminded Abby of blood splatter and she almost was sick at the thought. Just when all seemed hopeless, three Ties exploded in a row. The Resistance fighters looked up to see the Millennium Falcon coming to their rescue. Several fighters, including Abby, gave a loud whoop when the Falcon drew off the rest of the Ties._

_Their moment of triumph was short lived, though. The order came through that the skim-speeders were breaking off the attack and everyone was to retreat back. Rather than going back into the base, Abby found a rock and climbed on top to get a better look at the action. All of the speeders, but two, were headed back. One of the speeders was now in the path of the battering ram cannon. It looked like the pilot was going to sacrifice themselves to blow up the cannon. Abby was sure that the suicidal pilot was Poe. Just as her heart dropped at the thought, another speeder ran into him and both speeders crashed, away from the cannon. Abby gasped, thankful that no sacrifices had been made._

_She got down from the rock and just as she looked up, Poe was sliding into the trench. She had just enough time to thank the Force that he wasn’t the suicidal pilot when he grabbed her by the shoulder and pushed her into the tunnel leading to the base. They entered the base just as the bay door exploded. As they dove for cover, Abby’s helmet fell off, revealing her long, dark hair. Surprised, Poe pulled her back, further behind a crate. “Abby? What were you thinking? I told you to run!”_

_Before she could answer, a quiet calm came over the base. Poe stood as a man in a cloak walked from the control room and through the hole in the door. Abby peered around the crate to see who it was. “That’s… That’s Luke Skywalker!” she whispered to him. She’d know Luke anywhere from the images in her story books. Poe helped Abby stand, all previous chastising forgotten. Just then, Finn ran into the bay, dragging a person behind him and calling for a medpack. Abby grabbed a pack from the crate next to her and went to go help. The body Finn brought to safety was the young mechanic she had seen him with earlier. “Oh no, Rose!” she exclaimed. Abby checked Rose’s vitals, there was a pulse. She looked up at Finn, who was distraught. “I’ve got her now, Finn. She’s gonna be okay.” Relieved, Finn left Rose’s side to go see what he needed to do next._

_While the others were discussing the next plan, Abby tended to Rose’s injuries. The medisensor showed a concussion, lacerations, and a couple of broken ribs. Finn and Rose must have been the pilots who crashed by the battering ram cannon. She heard Finn say that they needed to go help Luke fight off Kylo Ren. Poe stopped him with the realization that Luke was doing this to give the survivors time to escape. Abby heard Poe echo Vice Admiral Holdo’s words earlier, “We are the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down.” Abby’s heart swelled with pride at the leader Poe was becoming. Smiling to herself, Abby wrapped Rose’s ribs and double-checked the rest of her injuries. Once she was satisfied that Rose was in stable condition, Abby looked up in time to see Poe walk to one of the back tunnels. “Follow me,” he called to the rest of the group._

_Everyone turned to see what General Organa would do. “What are you looking at me for? Follow him,” she commanded. Two of the stronger fighters lifted Rose onto a makeshift stretcher and carried her to the tunnel. Abby and the stretcher followed behind the General. The end of the tunnel was a dead end. Poe, Finn, and the General were just beginning to discuss the next move when the rocks blocking the tunnel’s exit began to move. All at once, the rocks lifted and floated away. Outside, Rey stood with her hand held out, using the Force to move the rocks. Abby had heard stories of the Jedi, but this was extraordinary to see! Finn rushed out to hug his friend, while the rest looked on, awestruck._

_The few that were left of the Resistance climbed up the salt cliff and entered the Millennium Falcon. Abby followed Rose's prone body and instructed she be laid down on the Medbay bunk. She rechecked the young woman's vitals and assured Finn that she would survive. “She needs to rest now.” Finn thanked Abby and went to find a blanket to cover Rose._

_All around, the survivors were laughing and hugging each other. None of them truly believed that they would escape the First Order, so when they felt the ship go into hyperspace, everyone cheered. Abby found herself walking around and hugging anyone she came across, even several people she didn't know._

_Abby found Lieutenant Kaydel Connix and gave the small woman a hug. Both exclaimed in delight that the other had survived. Soon Abby found Poe and ran into his arms. They shared a tight hug, neither wanting to let go. “I was so afraid that it was you flying into that cannon. I thought you were going to sacrifice yourself!  I was so mad at you for leaving me,” Abby said with her chin on his shoulder, tears running down her cheeks._

_“It'll take more than that to take me down, Abs,” Poe chuckled into her hair. His heart soared at having her here with him, safe and sound. They stayed wrapped in each others' arms for another minute or so before he released the hug and grabbed her face in both of his hands. His thumbs wiped away the tears clinging to her skin. Before he could comprehend what he was doing, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her longingly. The kiss was over before Abby could react, but the look on his face told her that he was as surprised as she was. He let go of her and started, “I--” Just then BB-8 bumped into his legs and C-3P0 stopped beside them._

_“Captain Dameron, Major Nemec!” the droid interrupted. “Isn't it wonderful? Artoo is back! Such a friend!” The blue and white astromech rolled over to Threepio and whistled. The gold protocol droid didn't even realize that he had interrupted a tender moment. He continued his celebrations, going over to each group of people and exclaiming his glee that his companion had returned._

_Abby and Poe reluctantly parted and continued to celebrate their escape with the rest of the passengers._


	8. The Long Kiss Goodnight

 

**Day 4. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

 It had been a couple days since Abby lost DB-6. After she gathered his parts and put them in one of the crew quarters, she set to work on the communications system. The distress beacon had enough power to reach the closest system, but Abby later discovered that is was uninhabited. She set the beacon on a rotation every four hours anyway. Hopefully someone somewhere would pick it up. She sent a few voice messages out as well, but there wasn’t enough power for them to go far either.

 Next, she checked on the life support system. If she continued to use very little power, she could stretch life support for five or six more days. She had enough rations for a couple of days, if she ate very little. The water supply was another problem. Abby estimated she had about two days worth of water. She would need to be careful if she wanted it to last longer. She was thankful, though, that the ship stayed somewhat warm. She had layered her clothing and was occasionally a little chilled, but it was nothing compared to the cold of space.

 The rest of her time was spent on maintaining the engines and distress beacon. The work was repetitive, so it left Abby with a lot of extra time to reflect on her life. She remembered the good times easily enough, but her mistakes and regrets are what haunted her. Her mind often dwelled on Poe. She regretted the way they had left things. She remembered that kiss that they had shared after the Battle of Crait and smiled sadly. He hadn’t told her that he had feelings for her beyond friendship, so she had assumed that it was just an over-reaction to nearly dying. For the months after the kiss, things had felt awkward, but they remained friendly toward one another.

**Two years ago. Resistance Fleet. Outer Space.**

_It had been several months since their escape from the First Order on the planet Crait. Abby was frustrated and restless. She had spoken to the General about taking a more active role in the Resistance. General Organa agreed that medical droids could take on some of her duties, since fighters were desperately needed, and Finn had volunteered to help her with shooting practice._ _When she had asked him about it, he said, “Why should I let all that First Order military training go to waste?” Finn had warmed up to her during their frequent lessons. He was timid, at first, because he felt guilty at the part he played in the First Order destroying Abby’s planet. She had comforted him by reminding him that he didn’t have a choice in joining the Order and when he saw the injustices, when it really counted, he left. She learned a lot about the Stormtrooper turned Resistance Fighter. He was extremely passionate and, despite having defected from the First Order, he was fiercely loyal. Finn became a good friend to Abby._

_The Resistance had not had any engagements with the First Order in the months after Crait, so Abby found herself with little to do outside of shooting practice and light duties in the infirmary. In an effort to reduce sicknesses being passed around the ships, Abby had instituted mandatory physicals for all members in the fleet. Much to her chagrin, hardly anyone complied. She expressed her frustration at feeling useless to Poe and he had suggested that they go talk to General Organa about it. The smirk on his face told her that he already had an idea up his sleeve._

_888_

_“Espionage,” Poe stated confidently. Abby looked at him like he was crazy, but the General looked at Abby thoughtfully. “Think about it, General. She speaks several languages, she grew up around diplomats, and she can blend in and disappear. She’s also really good with a blaster rifle.” Abby blushed slightly at his praise._

_“Major, what do you think about this idea?” General Organa addressed Abby._

_She thought about it for a moment. Poe was right, she could blend in. And she had a zeal to take down the First Order. One last look at Poe’s confident expression sealed the deal. “Yes, I can do this. I can spy for you.”_

_Poe clapped his hands together, “Excellent! When should we get started, General?”_

_“Not so fast, Commander,” Leia said to the newly-reinstated Commander. “In addition to her medical duties, she’ll need more training. I want her to learn hand-to-hand combat, how to fly a ship, and how to fix one. She’ll also need to continue her shooting lessons with Finn. Then, when you’re ready, Abby,” she looked to the eager young woman, “you’ll go on a solo mission. Something small at first. I want you to be prepared for anything out there.”_

_“Thank you, General! I won’t let you down,” Abby replied enthusiastically._

_“I know you won’t, Major,” Leia gave Poe a stern look, “Poe, she’s under your command for this. She is your responsibility. We can get Snap and Karé to take over your recruiting duties while you work with Abby.”_

_Poe and Abby both nodded and left the General’s office. Abby’s suspicions were confirmed when Poe began laying out an already formed plan. “We can get Rose to help you with the mechanics, I can teach you to fly, and we’ll ask Rey if she’ll help with hand-to-hand. I think your shooting is great, but Finn can probably help with a few advanced techniques. This is going to be great, Abs!”_

_They stopped in the passageway. She turned to Poe and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, Poe.” Surprised, he returned her hug, then pulled back to look at her. He noted that she looked better than she had in a while. She was well-rested and determined. Most importantly, she was smiling… at him. Poe couldn’t help but adore Abby in these moments. “I really need to do this. For Sage.”_

_He smiled softly at her and repeated, “For Sage.”_

888

 

_It only took a few weeks of training for Abby to start to see results. Her aim and “kill” rate had improved and Finn moved her on to sniper blasters and heavier rifles. Rose had taught her everything she could about engines and ships. She was confident that Abby would be able to make temporary repairs to any ship, should she need to. In return, Abby taught Rose beginner’s medicine. It was enough for Rose to become a field medic, which pleased the mechanic immensely._

_Poe, true to his word, taught Abby to fly. They started in one of the older Y-wings, since they were two-seaters. They moved on to X-wings and once he was sure she had the hang of that, he convinced Chewbacca to let her try out the Millennium Falcon. The Wookiee agreed, but added that if they broke his ship, it wouldn’t matter how much of a hotshot Poe was in the Resistance, his arms would no longer be attached to his body. As they got in the cockpit of the freighter, Abby tried to protest, but Poe wouldn’t hear of it. He reminded her that the Resistance wasn’t wealthy and she’d have to be able to fly whatever they could get once she started going on missions. Much to her and Poe’s surprise, Abby was even better at flying the light freighter than a starfighter._

_The biggest improvement was in her hand-to-hand training. Rey had jumped at the chance to show Abby how to wield a staff and a vibroblade. She had offered to let Abby try her light saber, once she was good enough, but Abby declined. “It was very thoughtful of you to offer, Rey, but I’d just end up cutting a vital part off.” The two laughed at that imagery for several minutes, guessing at what parts Abby would cut off of herself or her opponent._

_Occasionally, Poe would step in to help with the combat training. He taught her how to throw a good punch, how to do a few kicking moves, and most importantly, how to block and fall without hurting herself. With all of the exercise she was getting, Abby’s muscles toned and she could hold her own against bigger opponents._

_Abby accidentally cold-cocked Poe during one of their sparring matches. She hovered over his unconscious form, worried he’d be angry with her. After a few seconds, he sat up suddenly, startling her to the floor. They sat there, staring at one another wide-eyed, until Poe burst out into fits of laughter. Amused, Abby stood and offered her hand to help him up. “What’s so funny, Flyboy?”_

_“That’s one hell of a left hook you’ve got there, Doc!”He stood too fast and started to stumble, but Abby quickly maneuvered under his arm and held him steady._

_“Blast, Poe! I’m so sorry I did that! I didn’t mean to knock you out!” her voice rising with panic._

_Poe rubbed his bruised face and smirked at her, “Don’t be, I’m impressed! It shows that you’ll hold your own in a fight. I’m proud of you, Abs!” He kept his arm around her shoulders and led her down the passageway. “Let’s uh… call it a day, huh? Buy me a drink?” For the next few days, when asked about his black eye, Poe would tell people that the young doctor slugged him for not keeping his medical appointment. As word got around, fewer people would skip out on their mandatory physicals._

_888_

_The time came for Abby to go on her first mission as a spy. She was to fly to Coruscant and find an informant who had information on the First Order. She was told that she’d find the informant in the Coruscant underworld. Poe was assigned to go with her, since the Coruscant underworld was, as General Organa put it, a “wretched hive of scum and villainy.” The plan was to get to level 1313 and split up. Both equipped with a surveillance communicator, Abby would meet the informant while Poe would keep watch._

_They were to meet in the hanger next to an old Ghtroc 690 freighter in half an hour to take off. Abby was walking around the ship, doing a pre-flight check as she was trained to do, so she didn’t hear when Poe walked up. He stood there watching her and appreciating the view. She had dressed in something more form-fitting and dangerous, he guessed to try to blend in with the criminal element on Coruscant. The dark, skin-tight shirt and pants hugged every curve. He attempted to bring his mind back from inappropriate thoughts when Snap walked up to him and clapped him on the back. When Poe didn’t acknowledge him, he asked, “You okay there, buddy? You look like you could use a drink.” Snap looked around to see what held his friend’s attention. “Whoa! Is that Doc Nemec?”_

_“Yeah, we’re going to Coruscant to pick up some intel,” Poe replied in a trance-like state._

_Snap chuckled, “You’re gonna need to put your eyes back in your head first.”_

_Clearing his throat, Poe begrudgingly tore his gaze away from Abby and looked at his friend. “Shut up,” he smirked. Laughing at his friend’s predicament, Snap handed him a data stick from General Organa and turned to leave, giving Abby one last look before wishing Poe luck._

_Finished with her check, Abby turned to see Poe waiting for her. “Pre-flight check is done, Commander. Everything looks ready to go!” she informed him. Excitement was radiating off of her. Her enthusiastic smile was contagious and Poe’s previous inappropriate thoughts were filed away for later introspection. They entered the ship and Poe headed straight for the co-pilot’s seat._

_At Abby’s confused look, Poe explained, “This is your mission. I’m just along for the ride.” She jumped into the pilot’s seat and prepared to take off. “Oh, Snap brought this by.” He plugged the data stick into the ship. “This has all the information we’ll need: instructions, who we’ll be meeting, and where. You ready?”_

_“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied._

_888_

_They arrived on Coruscant and landed in one of the many hangers available for out-worlders. Poe handed Abby a small surveillance communicator that she placed in her ear. He was wearing an identical one so they could communicate undetected. Abby got up from the pilot seat and went to check her equipment. There was a blaster, two vibroblades, and various surveillance tools. She placed each in their spot on her belt and turned to look at Poe, who had done the same. With her hands on her hips, she inquired, “How do I look?”_

_Poe took a moment to consider her disguise. In addition to the dark fitted clothing, she was wearing dark makeup around her eyes and on her lips and her nails were painted black. Her dark hair was up, but not styled. Abby’s blaster was holstered right below her hip and the small vibroblades were sheathed, but visible. All in all, she looked the part. He liked seeing this side of her. She was carefree and a little bit dangerous. Taking a steadying breath and forcing more inappropriate thoughts down, Poe answered, “Criminal.” Abby smirked at him. “Hey, stop smiling. You’re a bad woman, remember?” Poe reminded her through a smirk of his own. She readjusted and scowled at him. “Better. You got everything?”_

_“Yeah, let’s go” she answered._

_Poe and Abby exited the ship and made their way down to the Coruscant underworld, level 1313. It was dark and musky. The only light was artificial, so there were plenty of places that remained in shadow. They split up, Abby with instructions to meet their informant at a bar nearby. Poe found a convenient fire escape to climb up on. It was across from the bar, so he could keep watch while Abby went in._

_As soon as Abby crossed the threshold to the seedy bar, a sinking feeling developed in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t place it, but something felt off. Patrons were seated at either the bar or in the booths lining the walls. Most taverns or cantinas that she had visited had music playing the background. This bar was quiet, except for a few conversations between the patrons. This was not an ideal setting for a covert operation. Abby walked further into the bar, but didn’t see her contact. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” she muttered._

_“It’s just nerves. You’re doing great, Abs,” Poe comforted in her ear._

_Abby walked up to the barkeep and ordered a Corellian whiskey. As she sipped her drink, she glanced at her surroundings. She found all of the available exits, including a door that she assumed led to a back office. She took note of how many other beings and droids were in the bar, especially noticing the ones that looked like they were itching for a fight. It struck Abby as odd that there were very few people in the bar. She would have expected a place like this to be crowded at this time of day._

_A small man walked into the bar and nervously looked around. “I think I see our guy,” Abby muttered as she got up from the bar. Her instructions were to order two Reactor Cores and set them on the opposite side of the table so her contact would know it was her. Once she had the drinks, she passed the man, giving him a once over, and proceeded to a booth on the side wall. He was fidgety and sweating._ Not exactly spy material, _Abby thought._

_The man walked to the booth and asked in a squeaky voice, “Mind if I sit here?”_

_Abby shook her head and waved at the seat across from her. “Go ahead.” This was definitely her contact._

_“Ar-are you T-Tabitha?” he asked as he sat down. He kept looking around them, like he was waiting for someone. He pulled out a folded cloth and wiped the sweat from his brow. Abby nodded. The man picked up the first Reactor Core and downed it in one go. “I-I was told there would b-be some form of payment?” he asked._

_Abby reached into a pocket to pull out credits, but stopped midway. “Intel first,” she demanded._

_The nervous man stuttered through what was probably a well-rehearsed speech on why he needed to get the payment before divulging any intel, but Abby didn’t hear a word of it. She was staring toward the door of the bar. Standing there as plain as day was Sage, her daughter. She was pale and ghostly._

Run, Mommy, _she heard Sage’s voice in her ear._ They’re here.

  _“Did you hear that?” she asked._

_“W-what?” the confused man asked and glanced around to where Abby was staring. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he grabbed the second Reactor Core and started to take a sip. At once, Abby saw a cloud of gas filter through the ventilation system and heard Poe over their commlink._

_“Abby, get out of there. The First Order is here.”_

_“Look,” the nervous man said has he sat the drink down. “I-I need to get that payment and then… and then I’ll tell you what you want to know.” Abby’s eyes widened in horror as people were falling to the floor once the cloud reached them._

_“Abby? Do you copy? Abby! Get out! That’s an order!”Poe panicked._

_The gas cloud billowed all around. It was getting closer and everyone it came in contact with fell over unconscious. Alarmed, Abby watched her contact as he squeaked a pitiful “I’m sorry!” and ran for the door, unaffected by the gas. Abby stared at the drink he left on the table._ Drink it! Quick, Mommy! _Abby picked up the remaining Reactor Core without question and swallowed all of it in one gulp. It was eerily quiet in the bar. The only sound Abby could hear was Poe through the commlink, pleading for her to hurry and leave. Her vision blurred somewhat, but she was able to stand. The ghostly figure of her daughter beckoned her toward the back,_ Mommy, this way! _She walked through the gas cloud toward the backdoor and dashed outside just in time. First Order troopers marched inside through the front door and began searching for Abby._

_“Poe, I’m out! Where are you?” Abby ran down the back alley and into the crowded street. People all around her were morphing into all sorts of creatures. One Rodian man turned into small rancor, while another morphed into a Kowakian monkey-lizard. Fearful that she would be next, Abby ducked into another alleyway. “Kriff, Poe, where the hell are you?”_

_The walls of the buildings that made up the alley were slowly melting into pools in the street. Abby had no sense of up or down. Suddenly, a red light flashed behind her. She turned to see a looming masked figure with a red light saber drawn. It was Kylo Ren! There was no escaping the dark Jedi. Abby let out a terrified scream and backed into a wall. This was the end! She only hoped that it would be quick. A deep mechanical voice told her to be quiet as Ren approached her. She slid down the wall and sat on the ground, in tears. Ren bent down close to her._

_“Please! Don’t!” she cried. She shielded her face in terror as Ren reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her. His mask and hood melted away and she saw that it was Poe that was holding her, not Kylo Ren. Tears streaming down her face, she looked at him, unable to believe her eyes. “Poe? Is that really you? I thought… I could’ve sworn Kylo Ren was about to kill me!”_

_“Abby, quiet down!” he whispered harshly. She frantically looked around, trying to see if Ren was still near. “What the hell is wrong with you? Abby! No one else is here!” It was then that he saw the tears in her eyes and her makeup smeared all down her cheeks. Her pupils were huge; she looked like a wild animal that had been caught in a trap. “What did you drink in there, Abs?”_

_Confused, Abby tried to make sense of what was happening. “I…” she started. “A Reactor Core. Gas poured into the building. The Reactor Core can make you immune,” she finished lamely._

_“Well, that’s why you’re seeing things,” Poe pulled her close and gave her a brief hug. “You think you can walk?”_

_“What about the mission?”_

_“Abs, the mission is a bust. We were set up.” Poe helped Abby stand. He pulled a small, soft cloth from his jacket pocket and gave it to her. “Here, you look like hell, Doc.”_

_“Thanks a lot,” she replied as she took the cloth, wiping the mess off of her face. Suddenly a small figure appeared at the end of the alley. “Poe!” Abby called to him and pointed toward the figure. “Do you see her?”_

_Poe looked around, but didn’t see anyone. “Who?”_

_“Sage! She’s standing right there!” Abby was frantic. “She’s right there, Poe!”_

_With pity written all over his face, Poe turned to Abby. “Abs, there’s no one there. You’re still hallucinating, remember?”_

Mommy, they’re in trouble! The Resistance has been found! Help them! _Chills ran all through Abby. Her gut was telling her to run._

_“Oh kriff, Poe! They found the fleet! They’re in danger, we gotta go!”_

_“Wha-?” he didn’t get to finish his question as Abby grabbed his hand and pulled him with her toward the exit._

_888_

_Inside the ship, Abby gladly let Poe take the pilot’s seat. She was feeling hung-over from the effects of that damned drink. After they entered hyperspace, Abby left for the ‘fresher. She looked at her reflection and laughed ruefully. Poe wasn’t exaggerating, she did look like hell. Abby washed off her face and hands. Poe watched as she came back to the cockpit and sat down. “Wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked her._

_“It sounds crazy, but I really did see Sage in that alley. She told me that the Resistance had been found.” Abby couldn’t look him in the eye. It sounded ridiculous to her, so she could just imagine how it sounded to Poe._

_“That was a hallucination, Doc. Sage wasn’t really there. Sage died. You remember that, right, Abs?” he asked skeptically._

_“Of course I remember,” she bit out as she gave him a sharp look. “She wasn’t a hallucination, Poe. She was really there.” She slumped further down into the seat._

_“Abs, Reactor Cores are known for giving hallucinations. It’s the Spice in them,” he chuckled._

_Abby shook her head. He was so frustrating at times. “She’s the one who told me to drink it. I saw her_ before _I had the drink. She told me the First Order was there.”_

_Poe just stared at Abby. “Abs, I don’t mean it to sound this way, but…” he started._

_“No, I’m not crazy. I’m just… I don’t know what.” Abby turned her head to watch the blue streaks of hyperspace go by._

_They sat in silence the rest of the way through hyperspace. Poe was sorry that the mission had failed. It ate away at him at they had been set up. He was surprised Abby was taking it as well as she was. One glaring issue, though, was that she thought she was seeing and hearing her dead daughter. That damn drink didn’t help either. He wanted a word with whoever came up with that idea. He had hoped that she would take to this kind of work easily and that they could go on missions together. Sure, he loved being near her any chance he could get, but she was also intelligent and skilled. He thought they would make a good team. He still thought she would do well at espionage, but perhaps they should start with something safer._

_When they dropped out of hyperspace next to the fleet, Poe turned to Abby, “See? Everything’s fine.” Just then the proximity alarms went off and a Star Destroyer appeared. “What the hell? Abby, you were right!” he admitted incredulously. “Go man the laser cannon! I’ll see if I can get a hold of the General.”_

_Abby jumped up from the seat. “I hate it when I’m right,” she remarked, running to man the cannon. Poe managed to talk to General Organa and they quickly came up with a plan to distract the First Order while the fleet jumped to hyperspace. They both thought it was strange that only one First Order ship would show up to destroy their base, but Poe thanked their luck. He received the rendezvous coordinates from the General and put their plan into action. A wing of Tie-fighters flew out of the enemy ship just as Poe started toward the Star Destroyer._

_Abby picked off Tie-fighters, one by one, using the ship’s laser cannon. They made a pest of themselves and kept the attention off of the Resistance fleet’s escape. Once the fleet was gone, they jumped into hyperspace to the rendezvous point._

_888_

_Abby was pacing outside of the General’s office. Poe had gone in first to report what had happened. She assumed it was also to give the General a review of Abby’s performance. She knew she had messed up several times and she was sick to her stomach at the thought that she would be put back in the infirmary full-time. Mistake or no mistake, Abby was resolved to make the best of the situation._

_After what felt like hours, the door opened and Poe came out. He looked at her worried features and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Without a word, he winked at her and went on his way down the passageway. “Major, come on in.” She walked into the office and sat across the desk from the General. Wringing her hands, Abby closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable._

_“Poe says that your performance on the mission was exemplary.” Abby’s eyes were startled open. Leia continued, “In fact, he said that he couldn’t have handled the situation any better. Congratulations.”_

_Abby was shocked. She was sure she was going to be reprimanded. “But we failed. I didn’t get any of the intel we were after!” she protested._

_Leia held up a hand to quiet the young Major. “Abby, you went in with certain expectations. And when the situation changed, you handled it well. You were thinking on your feet. Drinking that Reactor Core to keep the gas from affecting you was a stroke of genius. You got yourself and Poe out of there alive. That’s what is most important.” Abby smiled shyly at Leia as she continued, “I am curious, though. Poe told me about the hallucinations you were having before drinking the Reactor Core. You saw your daughter?”_

_Abby gulped. Maybe she wasn’t safe just yet. If the General thinks she’s unstable, she may be kicked out of the Resistance all together. But there was no point in hiding things from her, the General always found out the truth. “I did. She told me there was danger. She…” Abby took a steadying breath, “She told me that the fleet had been found.”_

_“Fascinating,” Leia said. “Has this ever happened before? Seeing ghosts or knowing danger was imminent?”_

_Abby took a moment to think about it. There have been a few times, but surely they weren’t related to this. “I had a dream once. It felt real. It was right before Hosnian Prime was…” she couldn’t finish._

_“Yes, before it was destroyed?” Leia helped._

_Abby nodded. “I heard Poe. I mean, in the dream. He was being tortured and screaming. I was in pain. Then there was a red light and I saw my family outside our home. They were scared and looking at the sky. And the red light came closer and closer and…” Abby tried to hold in a sob. “It was so real,” she whispered. Leia reached across the desk laid a comforting hand on Abby’s. “But that was before Hosnian Prime was destroyed. I spoke to Sage and my mother that same day. I told her I couldn’t come home because Poe was missing. If I had gone home like I had planned, I would have been there when…” she trailed off. Tears fell._

_“Anything else?” Leia asked gently._

_Abby wiped her face and collected herself. “I get these premonitions. My mother used to have them too. When something is about to happen or I need to be somewhere, chills run through me. My mother called it mother’s intuition, but I started getting them when I was a child.”_

_Leia leaned in and stared at her. Abby was uncomfortable because it felt like the General was looking into her soul. “Does anyone in your family have the Force?”_

_Abby couldn’t help but laugh, “No, of course not. I certainly don’t. I can’t move things or make people do things. I mean, I believe in the Force, but that’s it.”_

_“Hmmm…” Leia contemplated. “You may not have the Force, but it sounds like you’re certainly sensitive to it. Stay mindful when you have these premonitions. Listen to them. It’ll serve you well.” Abby was skeptical, but she promised she would keep that in mind. “Now,” Leia continued, “go get some rest. You’ve earned it, Major.”_

 


	9. The Sense of an Ending

 

**Day 5. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

 Abby was going stir-crazy. It had been five days since she had first arrived in the Unknown Regions and she had been on the same routine for what felt like weeks. She kept a constant eye on the engines, which were running out of power faster than she had expected. Between watches, she would sleep, but it was never restful. She kept dreaming of her life before the war. The bittersweet memories were all that kept her going. Maybe she could have that life again. She could put her thirst for vengeance aside and just live. If she ever made it home, that is. She knew death would be close if she wasn’t rescued. Abby estimated she had one, maybe two days left and that terrified her. There were so many things she wanted to say to her friends. And so many apologies that she owed, especially to Poe.

  **One year ago. New Republic Base. Naboo.**

_The war had been won. The First Order had disbanded and Kylo Ren denounced the dark side. Leia had her son back. Ben Solo exiled himself on the planet Ahch-To. The only visitors he allowed were his mother and the young Jedi, Rey. Abby continued to spy for General Organa and had brought back intel needed to destroy the Order. She had also been charged with the assassination of several of the Order’s most influential leaders. It was a job she was happy to carry out since they had been partially responsible for the destruction of her home planet and her family along with it. Black, Red, and Blue Squadrons, led by Poe, had destroyed most of the First Order’s fleet, while Finn and Rose had led a stormtrooper uprising. With no fleet, no leader, and very few ground forces, the remaining members of the First Order were forced to go into hiding._

_A new government had formed. It was a resurgence of the Galactic Senate, however, this time Leia had made sure that member planets would retain their own autonomy. She had been nominated as chancellor for this new Republic, but politely declined. Leia preferred to stay on as General and help recruit for the new Defense Force. She also was in charge of routing the remaining forces that were loyal to the First Order._

_Abby had been frustrated at her lack of progress in finding the remaining First Order forces. She was happy the war had been won, but she was still focused on vengeance. She wouldn’t rest until all of the people directly responsible for her planet’s destruction were punished or killed. It was a dark path she was going down. Those closest to her were worried about her. Poe noticed that Abby was slowly pulling away from her friends and from him. She took her meals in her quarters, preferring to eat alone. During sparring matches, she was closed off and distant. Abby was no longer playful or happy, instead she was serious and entirely too focused on her work. Poe was especially disappointed when she wouldn’t flirt back with him._

_“Hey, Abs, wanna go for a drink later? Finn and Rose are heading to that new cantina in town,” he asked her._

_“No thanks, Poe. You go ahead. I’ve got a lot of work to do. I leave for Chandrila in the morning,” she replied without even looking at him._

_Poe walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. “C’mon, Abby, you just got back. We won! We need to celebrate! Have some fun for once! Let down your hair, have a drink, dance!”_

_Abby shook his hand away, “Excuse me if I don’t feel like there’s anything to celebrate. Hux is still out there somewhere. And others from the First Order. We need to catch them before they regroup.”_

_“Look I wasn’t going to say anything, but you really gotta tone it down with this vengeance stuff. I get that you want to make Hux pay, but you need to take care of yourself, Abs. Your friends miss you. I miss you.”_

_She finally looked at him. He was grinning stupidly at her, probably already inebriated from the day’s celebration. “Are you drunk, Poe?”_

_“Not nearly enough, sweetheart,” he smirked. “Come with me, Abs. You deserve to relax.” She huffed and turned back around to finish what she was doing. “What are you doing anyway?”_

_“I’m trying to find the parts to fix that damned droid over there. That R5 unit has a bad motivator,” she answered._

_Poe reached around her and looked through the parts in the bin. He was too close for her comfort. She could feel the heat radiating off of him. She shivered when his breath tickled her ear. He smelled like machine oil, leather, and alcohol. It was an odd combination, but Abby thought that she liked it. Her pulse quickened and she couldn’t breathe. He grabbed at a part at the bottom of the bin and showed it to her. “This should do. Now, will you come with me to the cantina?”_

_Abby wanted to go and for a fraction of a second she thought she might. She missed Poe. She missed her friends. She wanted to be happy and revel in the festivities, but her conscience wouldn’t allow it. How could she relax when there was still so much to do? She looked up and across the room she saw her daughter’s ghost. It was a common occurrence now. Sage was always on her mind. No, she was resolved. She wouldn’t allow herself to be happy until Sage was avenged. “I can’t,” she whispered. She snatched the part from Poe’s hand and went off to the R5 unit to repair it. Hurt, Poe left._

_888_

_Early the next morning, Abby was busy making preparations to leave when there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find a bleary-eyed Poe. “You’re up early,” she stated as she stepped aside, making room for him to come in._

_“Thought I’d try to catch you before you left. We missed you last night,” he told her. He looked around at her nearly empty quarters. The image she had of her family was framed and sitting on her bedside table. Next to it was a framed image of the two of them. He picked it up to look at it closely. It was taken at a party a few years ago, before the war had really started. Back when life made sense. Poe was laughing with his arm around her and she was looking up at him smiling. He couldn’t remember what had been so funny, but he definitely remembered having a good time. His thumb caressed the image where her face was. Abby pulled the frame roughly out of his hand and slammed it back down on the table._

_“Sorry,” she apologized half-heartedly. They had already been through this. Why was he pushing her? “I told you that I had to get that droid working. I leave in an hour, Poe. What did you need?” she asked coolly._

_“You’ll be gone a week?” he asked. She nodded in reply. “I’m leaving, Abs. I’m done.” Abby stared at him, not believing what she was hearing. “I want you to come with me. We can go anywhere you want. We can go to Yavin 4. My parents had a ranch there. We can go there and live out our lives and just… exist. Please say you’ll go, Abby,” he implored her._

_Abby shook her head, “You know I can’t just drop everything and go with you. I have a job here. So do you! We owe it to the galaxy to find the remnants of the Order. We can’t let them get away.”_

_Poe’s shoulders sagged. Somehow he knew she would refuse him. He had to try, though. He loved Abby. “We owe it to ourselves to be happy, Abs. You can’t do that here. You obsess over finding Hux. It’s your Cause. And you’re gonna die fighting it.”_

_“It used to be your cause too,” she said softly._

_“No. Not like this. Abby, you’re doing things I never thought you capable of. You murdered generals, for kriff’s sake! They had already surrendered and you… you just… killed them!”_

_“I was following orders, Commander! Or have you forgotten how to do that?” she bit out._

_It was a low blow. Poe took a step back. “You’ve changed, Abs.”_

_“So what? We all change. Right now, nothing is more important than this. ‘My Cause’ as you called it. Nothing,” she declared._

_His heart breaking, Poe asked, “What about love, Abby? Is that important to you?” His voice was full of sorrow._

_She turned away from him, tears spilling from her eyes. She wasn’t about to let him see her cry. She needed to stay strong. “You’re trying to smother me, Poe. I need to do this.”_

_“Abby, I’m trying to save you from yourself,” he took a deep breath and continued, “I’m in love with you, Abs.”_

_Abby’s heart dropped. She placed her hand over her mouth to muffle her cries. This was going to be harder than she thought. She couldn’t go, but she also couldn’t lose Poe. Abby collected herself. With her back still to him, she asked, “Can we talk about this when I get back? Please?”_

_Without a word, Poe turned and left. After the door shut behind him, Abby broke down and sobbed. His wasn’t the only heart broken that day._

_888_

_A week later Abby returned from Chandrila, her mission a success. She looked for Poe, but couldn’t find him anywhere. They needed to make up from their fight earlier. She had decided to let him in and tell him how she felt about him. She tried the commissary and the hanger bay, but he wasn’t there. She stopped by his quarters and knocked. The door, unlocked, opened on its own. The place was empty, save for a few pieces of furniture. “No,” she backed out of the room. “No, no, no, no!” Abby ran to General Organa’s office and knocked loudly. She opened the door before the General could invite her in. “Where’s Poe?”_

_“Come in, Major. Have a seat,” the General’s voice was calm._

_Frantic, Abby demanded, “Dammit, Leia, where is he? All of his stuff’s gone!”_

_The familiarity in her demand caught Leia off-guard. She decided to overlook it this time. “Major. Sit. Down,” Leia commanded the younger woman. Abby closed her mouth and sat. “He left the day after you did.”_

_Abby couldn’t believe it. “No, we agreed. He was going to wait until I got back so we could talk.”_

_Leia continued, “He didn’t tell me where he was going, just that he would be in contact. He said he needed some space. I felt it only right to grant his request after everything that he’s done for us.”_

_Abby broke down in tears, her whole body shaking with despair. She thought they had time to work this out. She thought Poe would wait for her. It never crossed her mind that he’d make the decision for the both of them. Leia stood and came over to wrap her arms around Abby. She rocked the crying woman as if she were her own daughter. If Leia were honest, she thought of herself as a surrogate mother to all of them and it hurt her when one of her children was in pain. “Did you two have a falling out?” she gently asked._

_“He told me he loved me. And I brushed him aside, like he was nothing! Oh, Leia, what have I done?” she asked between sobs. She sat up and looked at the older woman. “It hasn’t been that long,” Abby said as she stood and started to pace the room. “I can track him. What ship did he take? Did he say where he was headed?”_

_“Abby…”_

_“I know he has a place on Yavin 4, maybe he’ll go there first.”_

_“Abby…”_

_“I can be ready to leave in an hour.”_

_“Abby!” Leia got her attention. “Let go. Give him some space. When he’s ready, he’ll come back.”_

_Abby shook her head, “No, I at least need to tell him how sorry I am. He needs to know that I love him. He doesn’t know. He thinks… Oh kriff, he thinks I don’t love him, Leia! Please, help me!”_

_Leia looked at the floor and sighed. She promised Poe that she’d give him space. It’s what he needs. It’s what they both need. She denied Abby’s plea. “Abby, take some time off and rest. Take a week. Afterwards, you can go back to work.” As Abby started to protest, Leia added, “That’s an order, Major.”_

_After Abby left her office, Leia sat down hard behind her desk and rested her head in her hands. She could feel the heartbreak so deeply that it hurt. She had been that in love once. Leia sat up and stared, unseeing, at the pile of holopads on her desk. She sat there in silence as she thought of her late husband, Han, and her tears silently fell._

 


	10. Person of Interest

 

**Two months ago. Hutta Town, Nar Shaddaa.**

_Abby entered the dark cantina. The haze of smoke and the smell of alcohol made her head spin. The music was loud, but it reminded her of the Jizz music her mother used to listen to when she was a small child. Her mother would sing along to the HoloNet broadcasts while going about her daily chores, sometimes picking little Abby up in her arms and swaying to the music.  Abby smiled at the memory._

_Once her vision cleared, she decided on the best vantage point. From the other side of the bar, she would be able to keep an eye on any new patrons entering while watching the tables and booths and looking for her quarry. She couldn't think of a reason for him to associate with thieves and murderers. He was too kind, too honorable, wasn't he? What business would he have here? Surely he hadn't changed that much in a year. Then again, she was here, but she was a murderer. At least, she was long ago. Did it count when you killed for a good cause? All of the lives she took, in the name of the Resistance, their faces haunted her nightly. Abby wanted to believe that the greater good absolved her sins, but the guilt in her heart was sometimes too much to bear. She shook the dark thoughts from her head and turned back to the task at hand. Find Poe Dameron._

_Abby sat on a stool at the back side of the bar and ordered a Corellian brandy from the barkeep. The deep golden liquid stung on its way down. The warmth it created in her belly quickly spread to her tired, overworked muscles. Relaxing slightly, she looked around the cantina, taking note of its occupants. She saw Humans, Twi'leks, Sullustans, Rodians, and Force help her, a Trandoshan and a Besalisk having, what looked to her like a heated discussion. Suddenly, the hair on the back of her neck stood straight and she swallowed hard. She could feel eyes on her, watching her every move. She tried to subtly look around to find who was watching her. She never saw the eyes of the man sitting in the dark corner following her._

_Already unnerved, Abby jumped when a game of sabacc went sour. Cards and credits flew as a table was overturned. As accusations of cheating were being thrown between the players, a Weequay man walked into the cantina. Dressed like a smuggler and heavily armed, he smiled as he sauntered up to the bar. Abby got a better look at the kit he was wearing. It looked like there were binders, detonators of some sort, and several different sizes of blasters and blades._ Definitely a bounty hunter _, Abby thought to herself. Tensions in the cantina were high as all eyes were on the man. He simply sat at the bar and ordered a Tatooine Sunrise. After taking a long sip of his drink, the bounty hunter handed a slip of paper to the barkeep, topped with a few credits. “Seen this man?” he asked._

_Eyeing, what Abby assumed was a wanted poster, the barkeep grunted negatively and went back to wiping a glass with his dirty rag. Most of the cantina's patrons went back to their business, except for one of the disgruntled sabacc players and the man in the dark corner, who was now dividing his attention between the sabacc player and the bounty hunter._

_“How dare you show your face in here, pirate, after you swindled me!” the sabacc player yelled in a deep, scratchy voice. He moved closer to the bar, his eyes boring into the back of the bounty hunter's head. His hand twitched beside his holstered blaster._

_“Don't blame me for your inadequacies, scum. You play sabacc like a schutta,” the bounty hunter replied without even looking at his challenger. Several of the onlookers laughed under their breath as he continued to sip his drink. The sabacc player, incensed, unbuckled the strap holding his blaster._

_“Say that again,_ friend _,” the player threatened through clenched teeth._

_“I said,” the bounty hunter swallowed his drink and set the glass down on the bar, “you are as adept at playing sabacc as a Pervickian dung camel. Now move on, moof milker.”_

_In a flash, the sabacc player moved forward and the bounty hunter was on his feet, bar stool crashing to the ground. Both men pulled blasters at the same time. With a loud howl of anger, the player pulled the trigger, missing his target. The bounty hunter returned fire as he leapt over the bar and found cover. It was foolish on the player's part, considering how many weapons the bounty hunter had on his person. If he was an experienced bounty hunter, the player stood little chance of surviving the duel. Just as Abby was contemplating this very thought, a blaster bolt whizzed past her head and she was pulled to the ground by strong hands._

_“Karabast!” Abby yelped as she rubbed her pained backside._

_Tables were overturned and glasses crashed to the floor. All manner of people were taking cover or firing their weapons. It was utter chaos. Blaster fire lit the dark cantina and Abby was able to get a good look at her savior. He had appeared from the dark corner next to her to pull her away from the brawl. He had dark, curly hair that hung over one side of his face and a scruffy, dark beard. His heavily-lidded eyes and signature smirk were unmistakable, though._

_“P-Poe?”_

_“Hey, Abs. Uh, we gotta get out of here. Fast,” he informed her. Poe grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. Dodging blaster fire, they ran toward the back of the cantina. The bounty hunter screamed, “DAMERON!” and took after the pair, aiming his blaster at their heads. Poe had the good sense to look distressed and reached for the blaster at his side, but never got the chance to pull it._

_“MOVE!” Abby yelled at Poe while swiftly pulling her blaster from its holster. He ducked and she shot three times behind them. When they saw the bounty hunter was no longer shooting at them, they slipped through a door to the back alley._

_Abby's heart soared. She had found Poe! Now she just had to figure a way to get him to come back with her willingly. Her ship was at least a half an hour away by foot. She was ready to put this town and Nar Shaddaa far behind her. “I think I got him in the leg,” she stated. “Poe, why was that bounty hunter after you?”_

_Poe grinned at her and shrugged. “I've made a few enemies lately,” he stated cheekily. A loud crash from inside the cantina quickly sobered him and he reached for her hand to pull her along the alley. “We gotta go!” They needed to get to his speeder to make their escape._

_“Wait, you have a bounty on you? What the hell, Poe?” she accused._

_“Look, you can yell at me for it later. Let's just get out of here. I've got a place just past the edge of town. We'll be safe there.” Abby reluctantly agreed. As they were approaching the hiding spot for Poe's speeder, they saw two Stormtroopers walking in their direction._

_“Blast!” Poe exclaimed._

_“What are Troopers doing_ here _?” Abby all but screamed. “What did you do, Poe?”_

_“Like I said, a few enemies. Here, hide!” Poe told her as he pulled her further into the darkened alley. There were no boxes or bins large enough to hide behind. The Stormtroopers hadn't seen them yet, but they were getting closer. In a moment of panic, Poe pushed Abby against the alley wall and kissed her. Her eyes grew wide in surprise, but she quickly closed them, all of her previous thoughts fleeing. His lips were soft and warm on hers. Poe turned his head slightly to check on the Troopers' progress. They were almost there._

_Abby ran her hands up around Poe’s neck and her fingers grasping through his hair. With his arms around her waist, he pulled her closer and ran his hands up her back. Abby melted into the kiss and a small moan tried to escape her throat. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip and sucked it into her mouth, hoping to deepen the kiss. Instead he stiffened. Confused, she cracked an eye open and saw the Troopers pass without a second look._

_At once she realized that their passionate embrace was nothing but a ruse. Hide in plain sight and make it uncomfortable for others to watch them. Oldest trick in the book. Once the Troopers had left the alley, they broke the kiss. Poe leaned in and rested his forehead on hers. He breathed a heavy sigh. “Abby,” he whispered, a beat later he stood straight with an aggravated grunt and began to walk away. She reluctantly followed, angry that her body had betrayed her. He had kissed her to hide them, but she had kissed him back thinking it was real. They reached the speeder with no more diversions and sped away to Poe's home outside of town._

_After a half an hour, they reached the small dwelling Poe called home. Inside, the pair was confronted by an agitated orange and white ball._

_“Hey, buddy! Yeah, yeah, I know. I said I'd only be gone an hour. I'm sorry, but look who I brought home!” Poe apologized. BB-8 stopped his angry beeps and squealed in delight when he saw Abby. He began to roll around her in circles beeping away and occasionally bumping her legs._

_“BB-8!” Abby happily exclaimed as she bent down to affectionately rub the droid's sides. When BB-8 calmed, Abby stood up to confront Poe. “What happened to you, Poe? Why do you have a bounty on your head? Why are you_ here _of all places?” The light in the room gave her a better look at him. He had more lines around his eyes and grey was scattered through his hair and thick beard. Despite looking tired, she thought he was even more attractive than before. She shook her head; that line of thinking was dangerous. She was at risk of losing her heart to him again. She had a mission that she needed to complete, bring Poe Dameron home. As he approached her, she realized the affect he still had on her. Her pulse and breath quickened. He stepped into her personal space and she could feel the heat radiating off of him as he was less than a foot away from her. He still smelled like machine oil and leather._

_“The question is, Abby, why are_ you _here?” Poe poked his finger into her chest, pushing her back a fraction of a step._

_Undaunted, she rose to her full height, chin jutting out, “I came to find you. It took several months of tracking to get here. I lost three ships, two droids, and countless hours of sleep, you know, so the least you can do is answer me. What happened?”_

_“I needed to get away and have some time to myself. I guess I just pissed off the wrong people along the way,” he shrugged. It was a vague answer, he knew, but he didn't feel like he needed to give her more information than that. She had made her feelings known the last time they spoke. Her loyalty was to her cause. She had no plans to fall in love. Poe, on the other hand, had already fallen hard and wanted to settle down. Every longing look, every shared laugh or tear shed brought them closer. With each battle, and subsequently each loss, he wanted to leave the war, to go far away with Abby and just exist. Even when the Resistance won, they still lost. It was a never-ending fight and Poe was worn out. So he left, knowing she would never stop fighting the battle, long after the war was over. He left the New Republic, or whatever they were calling it now, and he had left Abby. It was the hardest thing he had ever done. Until now._

_“I don't buy it, Poe. No matter how weary you were, you were always ready to fight, to give it your all. You're as loyal to General Organa as I am. Why did you_ really _leave?” Abby questioned, folding her arms across her chest. She always knew when he was lying, he was a terrible liar. She wasn't going to back down. She needed to know that she hadn't lost him completely when she had decided to stay behind._

_Poe stepped back and ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. “For kriff's sake, Abby. You get into my head. I can't eat. I can't sleep. I can't even fly without thinking about you. It drives me crazy because I know I can't ever have you. That's why I came here, halfway across the damn galaxy. I needed to get away. To forget. And here you are.”_

_She dropped her arms in defeat. “I didn't know. I'm sorry. The General--”_

_“Ah, forget it,” he interrupted her. “Just... when morning comes, you need to leave. You can tell the General that you found me. Or not. I don't care. But you have to go. It's not safe for you here.”_

_“It's not safe for you either, Poe. Come with me. We can go anywhere you want. We don't have to go back to the base. We can even go to your family’s ranch on Yavin 4,” Abby pleaded with him. Bringing up his family’s home stung. He had tried to get her to go there with him before and she refused. “I don't care where we go, as long as we're together,” she told him. It was a half truth. She still had to complete her mission, but the General could wait._

_“I have responsibilities here. I can't just go,” he lied._

_“You had responsibilities before and you just left,” she countered. “You left us. You left me! You never asked me what_ I _wanted. You just decided for the both of us.” Tears welled up in her eyes. Her heart, broken, would never be whole again. It felt like she was losing him all over again. How could she make him understand? “I died when you left! I never thought I'd see you again. I... I need you, Poe.”_

_He stared at her for a moment, his hard features softened. She needed him. But for what? Her heart? Oh how he wished that were true. Or she needed him for her cause, her vengeance? Yes, that's it. It would always be about vengeance, never about_ them _. His mind savagely replayed her words to him the last time they had spoken._ Nothing is more important than this. ‘My Cause’ as you called it, _she had said. What can be more important than_ love? _He had asked her that very question and she had turned away from him. She had stayed. The moment was broken as his anger grew. She was manipulating him, again, as a means to an end. To get exactly what the General wanted. She would do anything for General Organa, even at the cost of her own heart. And his._

_“I can't do this, Abs,” his voice broke. “I can't-- I just can't.”_

_And with that he turned and left the room._

 

888

 

_“Abs, wake up,” Abby heard Poe say. She was comfortable and didn't want to move. “C'mon, Abby, open your eyes,” he tried gently shaking her, but she turned her head and snuggled deep into the sofa. “Abby!” Poe was getting agitated. “Dammit, Abby, wake up!” Poe yelled. Abby stretched with languid movements, purred like a loth-cat, and rolled in the other direction. Just five more minutes. “TABITHA!”_

_Her eyes shot open at the force of his voice. “Okay, okay! I'm awake!” Poe was standing over her and he looked furious. Abby quickly remembered the conversation from the night before. Apparently a night of rest did nothing to extinguish his frustration at her._

_“We gotta go. That bounty hunter tracked us last night,” he bit out. He stood up and began putting a few things into the sack hanging from his shoulder. Abby sat up and quickly ran her fingers through her hair. The only thing she brought with her was the blaster lying on the side table. She grabbed it and place it in the holster tied around her leg. “I've got BB-8 ready to go,” Poe continued, “You have a ship? Please tell me you have a ship.”_

_Abby huffed, “Of course I have a ship. Unfortunately, it's on the other side of Hutta Town.” She stood and looked around for anything else they might need. One of the perimeter alarms Poe had set up went off. Panicked, they spoke at the same time._

_“Do you have something faster than that speeder?”_

_“My speeder bike's out back.”_

_Abby grinned at Poe, grateful that they were still on the same wavelength after all this time. They scrambled through the back door. Poe's speeder bike was waiting, just like he'd said, and BB-8 was already strapped to the side. Poe hopped on while Abby took a seat behind him. He started the engine and they took off just as the bounty hunter pulled up to the dwelling._

_Spotting the two making their escape, the bounty hunter quickly followed. Blaster pulled, he aimed at the woman sitting behind Dameron and fired. Though the ride was bumpy, he had no intention of allowing his quarry evade him in this time._

_The first blaster bolt narrowly missed Poe's head. The second shot hit the side of the bike. Having nearly been blasted, BB-8 squealed his disapproval. “I got it!” Abby yelled as she pulled her blaster and twisted her body to take aim. One hand grasped at Poe's waist while the other held her blaster as steady as possible behind them. She fired several times, only once missing her mark. The bounty hunter had been hit in the shoulder and dropped his blaster. Before Abby could face forward, she saw him pull a longer blaster rifle from the seat next to him. He stood and raised the rifle to take aim while his knees held the wheel steady._

_“Blast, Poe!” Abby called. Poe looked behind them and hit the brakes on the speeder bike. They decelerated rapidly and the bounty hunter zoomed past them. Once they were behind, Poe released the brake and accelerated toward their adversary. Abby extended her arm over Poe's shoulder, blaster in hand, and fired on the bounty hunter's speeder. She hit the back engine dead on and the speeder died on the spot. Quickly jumping out, the bounty hunter managed to escape as his speeder swung around and crashed. Abby and Poe heard a frustrated scream as they sped past him and looking back, they saw the smoke of the wreckage. Poe gave a loud whoop, “You've still got it, Abs!” He turned around to give her a smile before speeding on to the coordinates Abby had given him._

_It was almost midday when they reached the field where she had parked her ship. “Is that a VCX-100? Like the one General Syndulla flew at Endor?” Poe was in awe. He'd never seen a working model._

_Abby climbed off the back of the speeder and made her way to open the entrance ramp. Poe released BB-8 from his harness and set him on the ground. “It is,” Abby finally answered. She spun toward him and gestured toward the ship. “Poe, meet the Endeavor.”_

 

 


	11. I Am Vengeance

  **Last month. Energy Conversion Lab Ruins. Eadu.**

_Abby and Poe had been sent on an assignment to the old energy conversion laboratory, on the planet Eadu. General Organa believed that a man called Zephan, who held information on the whereabouts of a lost First Order battalion, was hiding in the ruins of the lab. They searched the hanger bay and a couple of the labs. There wasn’t any evidence of anyone living at the station, much less being there. The labs were unstable, with chunks of the ceiling and wall scattered on the creaky floor. As they walked through the labs, the floorboards bounced. It felt as if the room would give way at any moment._

_Abby and Poe left the labs and went up to the control room to see if any of the station’s computers remained intact. Perhaps their contact would be in a more stable area of the building. Unfortunately, they never did find Zephan. Instead they ran into a First Order officer, who was as surprised by their presence as they were of his. Abby recognized the officer and promptly knocked him to the floor._

  _The man’s ginger hair was long and unkempt, his uniform untidy. He had several days’ worth of stubble on his face. She knelt over the uniformed man, a First Order General, her knees holding his hands to the ground, her hands around his throat squeezing. A look of confusion passed over his pale face. Who was this woman?_

_“Abby, stop,” Poe spoke softly. “Let him go.”_

_Realization dawned on the General, “You're Tabitha Nemec, Organa's pet assassin. Ironic, isn't it? That a woman who champions peace and light can create a monster like you,” he sneered._

_“Don't you dare credit General Organa with the monster I've become. That's all on_ you _, Hux. You murdered my family when you destroyed my planet,” her voice rising with every syllable, “YOU KILLED MY DAUGHTER!”_

_Abby squeezed Hux's throat harder, his face turning a dark shade of red, veins popping up on his forehead. His body seized as his legs flailed wildly behind her. He was too frail to fight back. Hux was enraged that he could do nothing to prevent his own death. That he, Armitage Hux, General of the First Order, would die at the hands of a rebellious sewage rat. Abby looked into his eyes as they began to bulge slightly. She thought she could see the light in them begin to dim. She felt a gentle touch on her arm and looked over to see Poe's hand on her, coaxing her to let go. “Abs, this isn't what Sage would want.”_

_At his words, she looked up and saw her daughter's ghostly image haunting her. She heard Sage's sweet voice in her mind._

Mommy, why are you hurting that man?

  _Abby let go of Hux's throat as if it had burned her hands and fell backwards. She stared at the General's unconscious body with wide eyes. “Is he--? Did I--?” she whispered._

_“No, he's alive. But barely. His people will be here soon enough. We need to leave.” Poe stood and held his hand out to Abby to help her up. Once they were eye to eye, he could see the anguish and unshed tears. Part of him wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be okay. However, a bigger part of him was fearful for her. She was continuing down a dark path that he wouldn't follow. He kept her hand in his and tried to pull her along to the hanger bay._

_“We can't just leave him! He has to pay for what he's done!” She pulled her hand away and started toward Hux. Poe grabbed her arm and pulled her to him._

_“Let go, Abby. It won't bring her back. If you do this, then you’re no better than him.”_

_“NO!” she sobbed and tried to pull her blaster. Poe wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled as hard as he could. Abby was flailing wildly as he dragged her to the Endeavor. He could hear voices and footsteps behind them._

_“They found us! It's too late, Abby! You're... getting... on this... SHIP!” Grunting with each word, he made it up the ramp with her and into the ship. Abby pushed herself away from him as he hit the button to close the exit ramp. She crumpled to the floor in tears as he went by her toward the cockpit. She'd had the chance to kill Hux, to right the wrong, and she couldn't do it. Poe wouldn't_ let _her do it._

_The ship took off from the hanger and they made their way out of the atmosphere. BB-8, having heard the commotion, had already input the coordinates for hyperspace as Poe and Abby boarded. Poe flicked a few switches and the ship left the system. He could hear Abby's sobs coming from the passageway and sighed in defeat. BB-8 rolled to the door to look for her, but he didn't have to look far, she was only a few feet away. He turned back to Poe and asked if she was okay._

_“I don't know, Buddy. I sure hope so,” he ran a hand through his hair in exasperation._

_Neither spoke the rest of the trip home._

 


	12. Understanding You

 

**Day 5. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

 Abby believed in the Force, but she didn’t believe she _had_ the Force. Something the General said to her a while ago hinted that Abby might be sensitive to it, though. She certainly hoped so. She looked up and beside her stood Sage, smiling innocently. Abby looked on sadly at the ghost of her daughter. Though she would love to be with her again, Abby was not ready to die just yet. Sage reached her pale hand toward Abby and touched her shoulder. A chill ran down Abby’s spine.

  _Love will save you, Mommy. You just need to believe,_ Sage told her.

 Abby thought about Poe. She concentrated on his face and his voice. She willed Poe to feel her desperation. “I am One with the Force; the Force is with me,” she recounted the old prayer of the Guardians. Tears formed in her eyes. “I am One with the Force; the Force is with me,” she cried. “Hear me, Poe.”

  **Ten days ago. New Republic Base. Naboo.**

  _Abby stormed through the passages of the base to find the General. She needed to be debriefed and then she needed a hot shower. An ache had formed at the base of her skull and was currently waging war on her head. Poe, who was close behind, had been nagging her relentlessly ever since they jumped to hyperspace._

_“Look, I don't know what your problem is, Poe. We got the intel we were after,” she threw an angry look at him over her shoulder._

_“That's not how we get intel, Tabitha! You know this! What you did... it—it was like torture!”_

_The use of her formal name stung. He knew she hated it; he had only used it to get a rise from her. She stopped abruptly, turned toward him and stuck her finger to his chest, pushing him back. “We. Got. The intel. I do whatever it takes to get the job done.” she rebutted through clenched teeth._

_Poe looked around and saw a small alcove to his right. He grabbed Abby's arm and steered her into the dark passage, dodging several people. It was small and they both barely fit. “What the hell?” Abby yelled, uncomfortable at their proximity._

_Poe held on to her shoulders to try to calm her or to calm himself, he wasn't sure which. She knew how to get under his skin and it was frustrating him. “Abs, you know you can't keep doing this. We had a plan! You can't go in and blow everything to hell just to get the answers you want. You're better than that!”_

_“Yeah, you don't know me anymore, pal.” She shrugged him off and left the alcove._

_“Pal?” he scoffed. Poe followed her to General Organa's office door. He blocked her entrance to the office. “I know you better than you know yourself, Abs. This isn't you.” She rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Poe took a long breath. He realized that he wasn't getting through to her. “I can't keep doing this. From now on, leave me out of your missions,_ Major _. I'm done.” Poe turned on his heel and stomped off, leaving Abby to debrief the General on her own._

**Present. New Republic Base. Naboo.**

 Poe slowly made his way to General Organa's office. She had requested his presence 15 minutes ago, but he wasn't too keen to follow orders right now. He had made a nice, albeit lonely, life for himself on Nar Shaddaa. He resented that the General found him. He resented that Abby was the one sent to fetch him. He resented the person that Abby had turned into. She was calculating, unfeeling, and loyal only to her cause: Vengeance. Poe supposed that some of that was his fault because he had left, but the majority of fault lay at the feet of the First Order. They had taken everything away from Abby and she slowly shut any light out. He couldn't help feeling bitter toward the General for taking advantage of Abby's skills and ruthlessness. Abby was a shadow of the woman he loved. He was sure she had manipulated him into coming back to the New Republic with her, planning every detail. It had been several months since they escaped Nar Shaddaa, but Poe was still hurt.

 “You wanted to see me, General?” He waited outside the open door to the General's office.

 Leia waved him in, “Yes, Poe, please. Have a seat.” He walked into the room and plopped down into a chair across from her. “Tell me, how are things? Are you settling in?” she asked him.

 In no mood for small talk, Poe tried to steer the General to the point, “What's this about?”

 “Straight to the point, as usual, Commander,” Leia bit out a little more harshly than she had intended. “As you know, Major Nemec was sent on an assignment in the Unknown Regions a week ago-”

 “What's this got to do with me?” Poe interrupted. He wasn't going to make this easy.

 Leia sighed. She could feel the indignation radiating off of the man in front of her. She felt it was time that Poe was told everything. “Did you know that it was Abby's idea to go find you? I thought you needed your space, but she argued with me. From the moment you left, she had felt uneasy and agitated. She _grieved_.” It was hard for Poe not to roll his eyes. Abby had been very clear about her feelings toward him. He would only get in the way of her revenge on the First Order.

 Leia continued, “She told me that she stayed behind because she felt she didn't _deserve_ happiness. Not while she was being haunted by the ghosts of her family. She thought that if she could avenge their deaths, she could finally have some peace. But she soon realized that she needed _you_ , your support, your friendship, not retribution. The longer you were gone, the more she missed you and the emptier she felt. She begged me, on several occasions, to let her go after you. When I finally agreed to let her try, she didn't rest. It was her only mission. Every day she was following up on some new lead. As it turns out, it wasn't revenge that she was after. She wanted to feel whole again.”

 Poe thought about the General's revelations for a long moment. He bent over and rested his head in his hands. “You know, if she had just told me this, just talked to me instead of pushing me away, I could've helped,” he was irritated. So much time had gone by that they could have been together, but Abby's stubborn nature prevented that.

 “True,” Leia answered, “but neither of you have been very level-headed when it came to something you were passionate about. She loves you, Poe. I just think she's forgotten how to show it. She's been in the darkness for so long and hasn't known how to ask for help. She's afraid, Poe. Help her back to the Light.”

 Poe sat up and nodded to the General. He had a lot to think about before Abby returned from her mission. Did he even want to help Abby? Did he want to deal with all of the emotional baggage? Nothing he could do would bring back her family. But Poe knew, in his heart, that he wanted nothing more than to be with her. Even if helping her took the rest of their lives, he would gladly bring her back to the Light. Poe had never stopped loving Abby. “You said she was in the Unknown Regions. When is she due back?”

 Leia looked away, briefly. “That's the problem. She hasn't checked in. The Endeavor is missing and I need you go find her. Take Rey and Chewie with you. Something's wrong, Poe, I _felt_ danger.”

 “Why didn't you kriffing say so?” Poe jumped from his seat and with a plan already forming in his mind, quickly ran out of the office. Leia sighed in relief. If anyone can save Abby, from danger and from herself, it's her Flyboy.

 

 


	13. A Long, Dark Teatime of the Soul

 

**Day 6. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

Abby was insane. That would explain everything. In reality, she was back on Hosnian Prime and everything was fine. Her family were still alive. Poe had brought her back home after the fall of the First Order and had stayed, making a home for himself. He had asked Abby to marry him and she and Sage moved into his apartment, not but a few blocks from her parents’ home. He taught at the flight school in Republic City while she had her own practice at the hospital. The three of them lived in utter bliss; the last few years were nothing but a bad dream. She was sure of it.

Abby woke from her peaceful slumber when alarms started going off in the cockpit. The disappointment she felt when she realized that _this_ was actually her reality was soul crushing. She had been happy in her dream. Now, though, she faced a certain death. Checking the readouts, she saw that she had better quickly make adjustments to the engine power or she will lose the engines altogether. She ran to the engine arrays only to find that she was too late. The Endeavor was almost dead. Time for plan B.

 

888

 

Abby was growing tired and weak. The last of her rations had been eaten and her water supply was dangerously low. To top it off, it looked like the life support system had maybe a half a day left, then it would get intolerably cold and hard to breathe. She made her way to the cockpit to send another message out into space. The signal wasn't strong enough to send the previous messages much farther than the local uninhabited system. She didn't even know if anyone would hear her this time, but she wasn't going to give up. She boosted the signal of her distress beacon and piggybacked her message off of it. Unfortunately, the power to do this cost several hours of life support. With the power in the ship fading, this was probably the last plea she could make, so she'd better make it count.

 “Poe,” she started, her voice scratchy. She cleared her throat and tried again, “Poe, I don't know if you'll ever hear this. Hell, I don't even know if I'll ever see you again.” She held in tears. “Force help me, I don't know if _anyone_ will hear this. But I wanted... I... I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I know that you've been angry at me for a long time. And the truth is... the truth is I've been angry with me too.”

 The tears she tried to hold back flowed freely now. She sniffed, but continued, “I don't like the person I've become. I feel like I'm being swallowed by darkness and I don’t know how to escape it. I'm not strong enough to let the anger and the hatred go. You've been reaching out to me, trying to bring me back to the Good and the Light, and all I've been doing is pushing you further away. I really meant it, when I told you that I died when you left. It's like a part of me ceased to exist and this empty, unfeeling person is all that's left,” her voice was raw with emotion, “I want to change. To make it up to you. To be the person you love,” she swallowed hard. “But now I'll never get the chance.” Abby sobbed a little harder at this. “I'm scared, Poe. Please. Please find me.” After a few ragged breaths, Abby turned off the commlink and got up to go find a blanket. _Nothing to do now but wait,_ she thought to herself.

  **Present. Millennium Falcon. Unknown Regions.**

 Rey, Chewie, and Poe were scanning a nearby system for any sign of Abby and the Endeavor. They had been looking for her in the Unknown Regions for days with no luck, so they widened their scan to beyond the system and out into the emptiness of space. Just as they were about to leave to look in another quadrant, an alarm went off in the cockpit. Chewie recognized the distress beacon's signature and told Rey that they found Abby.

 “Poe!” Rey called to the back, “We've got a beacon! It's right outside this system, in the emptiness of space.”

 Poe ran to the cockpit, excited that they were finally getting somewhere. “Well, it's about time we found something! Is it the Endeavor?”

 Chewie growled and Poe looked to Rey for a translation, “He says there's a message hidden in the signal.”

 “What are you waiting for? Let's hear it!” Poe demanded.

 Chewie flicked a few switches and a faint message came through the static. “ _Poe,”_ He grinned at the sound of Abby's voice. _“Poe, I don't know if you'll ever hear this. Hell, I don't even know if I'll see you again_...”

 

 


	14. Saving Hope

 

**Day 6. Endeavor. Unknown Regions.**

“Abs, wake up,” she heard Poe say. She didn't want to wake up, she was too comfortable. “C'mon, Abby, open your eyes,” he implored. The warmth of sleep enveloped her. “Abby!” Poe sounded like he was getting desperate. She struggled to get her eyelids to open. The sun was bright and Poe leaned over her, his worried face inches from her own. “Dammit, Abby, wake up!” Poe yelled. He was beginning to panic. Puzzled, she looked around. She _was_ awake. Why was he yelling? She saw that they were back in Poe's home on Nar Shaddaa. Wait, that wasn't right. They had left Nar Shaddaa months ago. Concerned, she looked at Poe's worried face. “TABITHA!”

 With a jolt Abby awoke to find herself in the cockpit of her ship. No comfy couch, no bright sun. No Poe. She looked out of the window to see the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon facing her and way too close for comfort. Abby sat up and wiped the sleep from her eyes. A visible puff of air escaped her lungs; it was too cold to move. She looked up at the Falcon and saw that Rey and Chewie were piloting with Poe standing behind them, pointing to a headset.

 Abby pulled her hand from the blanket surrounding her, reached over and clicked the button for the commlink. Poe's frantic voice crackled through, “Abby, you okay?”

 This couldn't be real. How did they find her? She was out in the middle of nowhere. No, this was definitely a hallucination. A dream. Could she go back to the other dream now? It was warmer and safer than this one. Was it a dream? Where was she again? Abby's mind kept going in circles.

 “Abs, I need you to say something. C'mon, sweetheart. Tell me you're okay,” Poe begged.

 Abby struggled to stay focused and find the right words. _I'm okay, but I'm running out of air._ No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her mouth and brain to cooperate with one another. She tried to concentrate, but nothing happened. Finally, with a great effort, she broke the dam, “I... I love you, Poe. I've loved you since the moment we met. I've always loved you with all of my heart and soul! I love you! I love you...” Her voice trailed off through the speaker on the Falcon. She cursed under her breath. She did not mean to say any of that now, especially with an audience. Rey and Chewie glanced toward one another. This was turning out to be an awkward rescue.

 Poe smiled at Abby and softly replied, “I know.”

 Rey spoke up, “Abby, we're going to dock with you and Poe will help you into the ship, but I can't override your airlock door. Will you be able to open the door from your side?”

 “I think... yeah, I think so,” Abby gave a sluggish reply. She still didn't trust her mouth to say the right words. “Where am I going?”

 Chewie grunted and Rey replied, “Yeah, I think she's almost out of air. She's confused.”

 “We'd better hurry,” Poe said to them. He continued, “Abs, get to the back airlock hatch, but don't open the door until you hear me knock. Okay?” She gave no reply and her eyes began to droop. “ABBY!”

 “Right,” she jumped at the volume of his voice. “Not until you knock.” She got up from the chair and stumbled her way to the back of the ship.

 Rey maneuvered the Falcon to the back side of the Endeavor. There was no sense of up or down in space, so Rey had to make sure she lined up the hatch of both ships just right, the Falcon's on the roof to the Endeavor's on the side, and she had to do it with no gravity to help her keep her bearings. She slid the roof up close to the light freighter and the top hatch extended out to the side of the hull. It would be awkward, but Poe would be able to get Abby out of there.

 On his way to the hatch, Poe grabbed a hydrospanner. He reached the lift that led to the upper hatch and pushed the up button. The hatch opened and Poe was propelled up a small tube to the hull of Abby's ship. He used the hydrospanner to bang on the Endeavor’s hatch door above him. There was no answer, so he banged louder this time. The door opened and Abby limply fell though, the change in gravity causing her to black out. He caught her as best he could and hit the button to go back down. She was unconscious again, so he sharply tapped her cold cheek with his hand.

 “Abs?”

 She slowly opened her eyes and smiled the widest and brightest smile he'd ever seen. Her hand reached up to touch his face. “Poe,” she said breathlessly, “Hey there.”

 Poe chuckled, “Hey, Abs.” He held her hand to his cheek for just a second before bringing it to his lips and softly kissing her palm. He wrapped her shivering body in his arms and rubbed his hands up and down her back, trying to warm her.

 As they finished their decent, Poe shut the outer hatch door and yelled to Rey and Chewie, “Got her! She's cold as hell and disoriented, so I'm taking her to the Medbay.”

 Chewie acknowledged him and the Falcon prepared to enter hyperspace. Poe helped Abby to the Medbay bunk. He found a medisensor and scanned her for injuries. “I don't really know what I'm looking at, but I think you're okay. Just a little starved of oxygen.”

 “Mhm,” Abby replied as she started to lean to the side. Poe caught her before she fell, helped her lay down, and then sat on the bunk next to her.

 “Get some rest, Abs,” he urged. He covered her body with a blanket he found laying nearby.

 “Stay with me?” she drowsily questioned him. She cradled his hand to her chest for warmth and comfort.

 Poe tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned over to kiss her forehead and whispered, “I've got you, Abs. I'm here.” And with that, Abby fell into a deep, restful sleep.

 

888

 

Ten hours later…

 They had arrived back at the base unharmed. Abby was taken to the infirmary for a checkup and was discharged an hour later. She assumed that Rey, Chewie, and Poe were in the General's office to give their account of her rescue and, she hoped, were making plans to retrieve her broken ship. Abby made her way to her quarters and went straight to the 'fresher for a relaxing, hot shower. After her shower, she brushed her teeth and towel dried her hair. She had just slipped into a sleep shirt when there was a knock at her door. Wrapped in a blanket for warmth and dignity, she opened the door. Poe, freshly showered and changed, was standing on the other side, sheepishly rubbing at the back of his neck. “Hey, Abs. I just came to check on you.”

 Abby moved to the side and waved him in. He walked further into the room, but didn't turn around. With his back to her, she closed the door and stared at him, willing him to look at her. She remembered everything she had said to Poe during the rescue. How she unwillingly poured her heart out, like a fool. Her face burned with shame, since the last time they saw each other he couldn't stand to be near her. It was time that she made things right. She may have lost his love, but she was determined to keep his friendship. “Poe, I'm sorr--”

 He interrupted, “I got your message. The last one you sent on the distress beacon.” He finally turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide and fearful. She wondered if he could ever forgive her. “I'll drag you back to the Good and the Light,” he walked closer to her and reached his hand out to tuck her soft hair behind her ear. “Kicking and screaming if I have to. I'm not giving up on you, Abs.” He moved even closer to her, “You're one of the strongest people I know. And stubborn,” they both chuckled. “I've been an ass too, but I think, together, we can make this right. Will you let me help you?”

 Abby quietly nodded and smiled at him. Poe let his eyes roam her features. She was breathtaking. Blushing, she placed her hands on his chest and lifted her mouth to his. The kiss was timid at first, both unsure of themselves. Poe's hands went to the back of her head and his fingers wound through her hair. Abby clenched his shirt in her fists as the kiss deepened. All of their emotion poured through the kiss as they held tight on to each other. When they broke apart for air, Poe rested his forehead on hers. “I love you,” he declared.

 “I know.”

 

888

 

It was a late night. _Too late,_ Leia thought. She was sitting in her office trying to make out the blurry words on her holopad. She blinked and rubbed the tired out of her eyes. Her hot tea sat on the desk, untouched. She tried again to focus on the report in front of her. There were some First Order remnants out in the Outer Rim causing trouble for the locals. This would need to be handled swiftly and quietly to avoid any loss of life.

 She was reluctant to bother Abby at this late hour, since the woman had only just returned from the Unknown Regions earlier today. Abby's ship and droid had been lost, but Poe, along with Rey and Chewie, had located her distress beacon and gotten to her in time. The poor woman had suffered from oxygen deprivation, but she would recover. Unfortunately, this couldn't wait. Abby would need to leave in the next couple of hours if she wanted to capture the errant Troopers.

 Leia pressed the commlink and entered the number to reach Abby's quarters. “General?” a sleepy voice answered.

 “I'm sorry to wake you, Abby, but I need you to come to my office. Something has come up in the Outer Rim.”

 “Of course, General. Um... I need to get dressed. Can you give me 30 minutes?” Abby asked.

 “You have 20, Major,” Leia paused and smirked to herself, “Oh, and Poe?”

 There was a tense silence. “Uh... Yes, General?” Poe's strained voice crackled over the commlink.

 “Get dressed as well. We'll need you on this one,” Leia was amused at the embarrassment evident in his voice. She had been young and in love, so she understood the need for connection, protocol be damned.

 “Of course, General. We...uh...” he was too uncomfortable to finish the thought.

  “We'll be there.” Abby finished for him.

 “Twenty minutes,” with that Leia severed the commlink and chuckled to herself. “Took them long enough,” she mumbled as she went back to her holopad. She picked up her cup of tea and sipped quietly as she finished reading the report.

 


	15. Epilogue - On the Basis of Sex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rated M.

 

It had been one year since Poe and Abby married and moved to his family’s ranch on Yavin 4. Poe and BB-8 were finishing up some work on the Endeavor when Abby pulled up in their speeder, a lot earlier than he had expected. She was the colony’s only doctor, so she was kept busy most days. Poe noticed her closed expression when she jumped out of the speeder and lifted DB-6 from the back. The droid rolled over to where Poe and BB-8 had been working, the two droids exchanging a greeting. Abby waved stiffly to him, and then went immediately inside their home. Worried, he dusted off his hands and followed her inside. He could hear the shower already running and got to the ‘fresher in time to see her climb under the steamy water.

 “You okay, Abs?” he called to her.

 “Yeah, tough day. I’ll be out in a minute.”

 Poe washed his face and hands in the sink and went to fold the laundry on the bed, waiting for her to come out. He heard the shower cut off and was greeted by the sight of his very naked and wet wife scurrying from the ‘fresher in search of her towel. He grinned ear to ear at the sight. “Looking for this?” he asked as he held a towel out to her. She reached for it, but he moved it out of her reach. “What’s the magic word?”

 “Please.”

 “Nope, not it,” he teased still holding the towel away from her.

 “Poe, give me the kriffing towel, I’m cold,” she said through gritted teeth. She reached for the towel again and he switched hands. He was enjoying the spectacle.

 “Not until you guess the magic word,” he teased as he backed away from her.

 Though she was tired, his playful mood rubbed off on her. She knew she would never win a game of keep-away with Poe, so, Abby changed tactics. She raised an eyebrow at her husband before seductively sauntering toward him, naked hips swaying side to side and bare breasts bouncing with each step. He gulped, but still held the towel high above her. She ran her hands up his chest and into his hair. She pulled his face down to her, his mouth crashing into hers. Abby wound her arms around his neck and pressed her entire body against him. The damp, cool feeling from the water seeping through his clothes was quickly replaced by the heat of her body. Poe melted into the kiss and ran his tongue along her bottom lip. Towel forgotten on the floor, he held her by her waist, hands moving down to her bare backside, squeezing the firm flesh as he pressed himself against her, his arousal already evident. She opened her mouth to him and just as he was about to deepen the kiss, Abby broke free from his embrace and picked the towel up from the floor. “Thanks, Flyboy.”

 Poe stood there stunned while Abby dried off. Coming back to his senses, he took two long strides over to her and picked her up, removing the towel from her body. “No you don’t, you little minx!” He took her to the bed and dropped her unceremoniously, the stacks of folded laundry toppling to the floor. Laughing, Abby pulled him down on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he ground into her. Warmth spread down her abdomen and to her core. She had to have him, and soon. Poe’s clothing was an annoying obstacle that needed to be dealt with immediately. Abby untucked his shirt and roughly pulled it over his head and off of his body. Her fingers raked over his muscles and through his chest hair. Poe moaned as he bent down and captured her mouth with his. He sucked on her bottom lip before she plunged her tongue into his mouth. Exploring, their tongues battled for dominance. Poe broke the kiss, going to her ear to nibble. He continued to grind his hips into her, causing little moans of her own to escape. She reached between them to unfasten his belt and pants when he swatted her hands away.

 “Not yet, you need to be punished first,” he laughed into her ear. Shivers ran up and down her spine. He trailed hungry kisses down her jaw and to her neck. When he reached her shoulder, he suckled the soft skin there. Abby turned her head and he continued to the hollow of her throat, kissing and nibbling at her skin. Her need was overpowering. His hands slid up her sides and he ground into her again.

 “Poe… please…” she begged.

 “I haven’t even started, yet,” he said as he licked down her décolletage. A drop of shower water rolled down the curve of her breast and he caught it with his tongue. He licked all the way up the mound of flesh and to her swollen nipple. Grinning, he captured the sensitive nipple in his mouth. She moved her hands into his hair as he sucked and licked until it was hard and erect. He kissed back down and between her breasts. Reaching the other peak, he nibbled and licked until he found the nipple. He rolled it around with his tongue until it too was hard and erect. He braced himself with one hand while the other traced a feather-light path down her body and pressed against her sex. Abby moaned and bucked her hips.

 She reached in between them again, undoing Poe’s buckle. He expected her to unfasten his pants, but instead she slipped her hand beneath the waistband and grabbed a hold of his member. Poe shuddered and breathed into her ear, “Patience, Abs.”

 She sat up a little and gently bit down on his shoulder, kissing her way up to his jaw. Her lust taking control, she encircled his erection with her fingers and ran her hand up and down its length as it hardened further. “I can’t wait anymore, Poe. I need you,” she told him desperately, her hand going faster.

 As much as he wanted her to keep going, Poe grabbed her wrist and pulled her hand from his pants. If he let her continue, it all would be over too soon. He pushed her back and trailed light kisses down to her belly. He then did the unthinkable: he stood up, severing their contact. Just as Abby was about to complain, Poe grabbed her by the hips and pulled her to the edge of the bed. He lifted her leg and brought her foot toward his face. His hands rubbed down the length of her leg as he gently kissed the inside of her ankle. Marveling at her smooth skin, Poe continued to kiss down her leg, eventually kneeling on the floor. When he reached her inner thigh, Poe licked and nibbled the flesh there while lifting both of her legs over his shoulders.

 With a wicked grin and his eyebrow cocked, Poe looked Abby in the eye. At his cheeky look, her lips parted and she sucked in a ragged breath, thrilled at knowing what he was going to do next. He dipped his face in between her thighs and wrapped his arms around her legs to hold onto her. His large nose rubbed against the bud hidden in her folds before his mouth and tongue followed. He suckled and licked her in her most sensitive spot, causing small pants and moans as she arched her back and bucked her hips against his mouth. The stubble around his mouth and on his chin was rough against her. The feeling was exquisite! Abby decided then that she would ask him to grow out his beard for the next time. She ran her hands through his hair, grazing her nails against his scalp. Her panting quickened as did his pace. A gradual warmth developed in her abdomen before traveling all the way down to her toes. Poe felt her body stiffen, and then shudder as she rode out her orgasm.

 He let go of her legs and stood to remove the rest of his clothing. Abby abruptly sat up and captured his erection in her mouth. Startled, Poe let out a loud groan. His toes wanted to curl at the feeling of her mouth around him. He moaned, “Oh kriff, Abby…”

 Abby held him in place as she sucked, moving her lips up and down the length of his erection. She hummed, the vibrations of her mouth nearly undid him. Poe glanced down and saw how the curve of her mouth fit perfectly around his swollen member. His hands in her hair, he helped guide the pace. Before he could let himself go, Abby pulled back far enough to release him. At his look of disappointment, Abby smirked before slowly running her tongue from the bottom of his member to the tip. Poe shuddered and moaned, his hungry eyes meeting hers.

 She grabbed his arm, hooked her leg behind his knees, and threw him onto the bed. Abby climbed on top of him and straddled his waist. Poe sat up to kiss her, but she pushed him back down. “Now don’t be naughty, Flyboy. You had your turn. You’re mine now,” she taunted. He bit his lower lip; nothing turned him on more than Dominant Abby. She lifted up and reached between them, holding him steady at her entrance. They both groaned as she lowered herself down his shaft, his erection filling her to the core. She wiggled her hips slightly to get used to the sensation of him, producing a sharp grunt of pleasure from Poe.

 Poe bent his legs slightly to brace her and to put her at the right angle as she lifted herself up, and then ground back down onto him. Moaning, she slid her hands down to the outside his thick thighs and grasped the taut muscles, holding on to steady herself. She continued to ride him up and down, quickening their pace as he lifted his hips to meet her. Poe panted hard has she flexed her muscles, massaging his erection inside of her. He reached up and held her heavy breasts, rolling her nipples between his thumb and forefinger.

 Panting hard, Abby whimpered. She was so close to a climax, but not close enough. Sensing her frustration, Poe grabbed a hold of her hips to guide the pace. He spread his hands to hold onto her while also reaching between the folds of her sex, his calloused thumb roughly stroking her. She reached up and grabbed her own breasts, squeezing and massaging. She bit her bottom lip and breathlessly demanded, “Harder, Poe. Harder and f-faster…”  His momentum sped up as continued to buck her until, with her head thrown back and eyes closed tight, Abby cried in ecstasy. The feeling of her orgasm around his length nearly sent him over too, but with a great effort, Poe was able to control himself. Abby collapsed on top of him, unable to remain upright. He rolled her over and pulled her to the edge of the bed again.

 Lifting her hips and backside off of the bed and up to meet him where he stood, Poe thrust hard into her. She wrapped her legs around him, her strong thighs bracing him. He pulled back and plunged into her again and again. She reached to the side and grasped the bed covers tightly in her hands. Poe watched as Abby’s full breasts bounced in time with his thrusts. Their moans and panting got louder the harder he drove into her. He felt her start to quiver. Poe looked down at her euphoric face; her pupils dilated, her skin flushed, and her mouth opened as she once again fell over the edge, screaming his name.

 Poe watched her mouth, reminded of the supple curve of her swollen lips on his length. The feeling of her trembling around his member and the memory of her mouth on him was enough to send him over the edge. Digging his fingers into the flesh of her hips and backside, he thrust once more, spilling himself inside her as her hips rocked against him. She continued to quake against him, greedily taking in all that flowed from him, as her legs pressed him hard against her. She tightened her muscles around him until she felt his arousal ease.

 Once her body was still, Poe removed himself from her and set her back onto the bed. He bent down and placed a kiss on her lower abdomen, just above her patch of hair. Abby cried, climaxing one last time at the contact. Grinning, Poe climbed over her and laid himself down on the bed. He reached over and pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms. She nestled into the crook of his arm and threw her leg across his. Poe caressed her back while he bent to kiss the top of her head. “I love you, Abby,” he declared.

 “I love you too, Poe,” Abby told him as she lazily ran her fingers through his chest hair.

 With small kisses and nuzzles, they quietly caressed each other in the after-glow of really good spontaneous sex. After a few minutes of replaying the afternoon’s activities in his head, Poe spoke. “You know, I’ve been thinking, maybe I should grow my beard out.”

 All he heard in reply were Abby’s soft snores as she slept against him. Completely drained, but satiated, Poe closed his eyes and fell asleep.

 

888

 

A couple of hours later, they were standing on the terrace, watching the sunset. Poe stood behind Abby, his arms wrapped around her, holding her against his chest. She rested her hands on his forearms. He looked at her hand; his mother’s ring gleamed on Abby’s finger. “I love this. Being here. Being with you,” he said softly into her ear. He bent his head and placed light kisses on the crook of her neck and shoulder. “I wanted to ask you something,” he said nervously. Abby clasped her hands in his and nodded for him to continue. “Do you ever think about starting a family? With me?” He had been thinking about it for months, but was afraid to bring it up. Ever since losing her daughter, family had been a sore subject for her. But Poe didn’t want to wait anymore. He wanted a child with Abby in the worst way.

 “Is that something you want?” she asked him.

 “I know we’ve never talked about having children, but I really do.”

 Smiling, Abby let out a relieved breath. She released his hands and moved them to her lower abdomen, pressing his hands into the soft flesh. “Well, Flyboy, you’re gonna get your wish sooner than you expect.”

 It took Poe half a minute to realize what she was saying. His eyes widened as he turned her around to face him. “What? R-really? You’re pregnant? We’re having a baby?”

 Abby took his face in her hands and shook her head. His smile faltered. “No, Poe. Babies. We’re having twins.” She smiled up at him. She had only found out herself at her physical this morning. Abby had never seen him look so shocked and happy at the same time. Poe picked her up and spun her around. “I’m gonna be a dad!”

 They laughed and smiled and kissed until the sun went down.

 

 


End file.
